On the Wings of Destiny
by cuttingmoon57
Summary: Naruto's back from his training trip and things couldn't be better. But, in the shadows, a conspiracy is happening and only Naruto and his friends can stop it. Foxes, love interests, and more appear as Naruto fights his way to his dreams. Naruharem. AU
1. Naruto's return

Hey guys. I'm relatively new at this. And I'm not the best writer. But bear with it anyway. I've wanted to write this for a while but never had the time. Well anyway here it goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

Naruto Uzumaki, container of the nine tailed demon fox known as Kyuubi, whimsically entered the gates of the ever famous Konohagakure, also known as The Village hidden in the Leaves. Recently, Naruto had left with his lecherous sensei, Jiraiya, on a three year training trip. Throughout that time, Naruto had learned many things. Most notable was his increased height, standing higher than his friends that had before dwarfed him. His voice changed from loud and shrill, to deep and mature. As well as learning new techniques and strategies, his personality had grown as well. While he still kept that cheerful and optimistic personality that he was known for, he had become a lot quieter. Jiraiya beat into him early in the trip the importance of a ninja to know when to be silent and he had adapted to that lesson. He was much more chivalrous now also, being polite and courteous in front of members of the opposite gender. Not only his height and personality, but his looks had changed for the better as well. He no longer wore his hitae-tai on his head but wore it around his neck, letting his wild and unruly hair hang down. His muscles could easily be seen through his black shirt that he wore, choosing to finally hang up his old orange jumpsuit. His deep, blue eyes were still as vibrant as ever.

Naruto stood in the middle of the road, taking in the scene in front of him. To him, Konoha hadn't changed at all, except for Tsunade's face next to the fourth hokage's face on the Hokage monument. He stood there taking in the familiar smell of ramen, the laughing of innocent children as they went about their way playing ninja, the hustle of the people going about their business. It was all so nostalgic and…

Naruto was knocked out of his reverie by a fist knocking him in the back of the head.

"Are you just going to stand there all day or are you coming," Jiraiya said exasperatedly and walking in front of him.

"What did you do that for, Ero-sennin?" Naruto said rubbing the back of his head in an annoyed but calm tone.

Ignoring the question, Jiraiya began to walk forward. Naruto simply followed along, mumbling something about old, loveless perverts under his breath.

As they passed bystanders, Jiraiya noticed that Naruto was receiving a lot of attention from the female population. He watched as every time Naruto passed a woman, her face would grow red and she would began to eye his face and body as other women would swoon at him from a distance. Naruto, being the oblivious idiot that he was, didn't notice this at all and took it as some sort of disease. Jiraiya sighed at his pupil. He would kill for a chance to be in Naruto's shoes.

They entered the Hokage Tower doors and came across Shizune sitting at the front desk. She was currently filing paperwork behind the desk when she noticed the two males who just walked in.

"_I wonder who those two are. They both seem familiar, but the young one looks really hot_." She thought to herself while staring at aforementioned blonde.

"Can I help you two," She asked politely.

"Hey, Shizune-chan. How have you been?" Naruto asked cheerily.

"Do I know you?" She asked, feeling as if she knew who the boy was but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"You don't remember me?" He asked disheartened. "I'm going to become Hokage. Believe it! Does that ring any bells?" He said.

It took a moment for it to click (A few moments actually) before she realized who she was talking to, and she quickly latched onto him.

"Naruto, it's been so long. I can't believe it." She said letting go of him slowly.

"It's good to see you to, Shizune-chan," He replied smiling. She almost melted at the sight of his bright, beautiful blue eyes.

"Are you two done flirting or can Naruto and I go see Tsunade," Jiraiya said in an annoyed manner.

Shizune backed way quickly, blushing at what Jiraiya said.

"Ero-sennin, what is flirting?" Naruto asked innocently. Both Shizune and Jiraiya fell down anime-style, surprised at how dense Naruto could be.

"Sometimes I wonder how you get dressed every morning, Naruto." Jiraiya said quietly to himself.

"What did you say, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked, not hearing what Jiraiya said.

"Nothing. Come on, lets so." Jiraiya said walking toward the stairs that led up to Tsunade's office.

"NARUTO! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!!" Tsunade screamed as she enveloped Naruto in a bone-crushing hug.

"Obaa-chan, you're hurting me. I can't feel my…" Naruto was cut off by the sound of his ribs cracking.

"I think you applied to much pressure Tsunade-sama." Shizune said with a sweat dropping anime style.

After a few quick seals, Naruto was healed of his injuries and back on his feet in no time, properly thanking Shizune for healing him.

"Sorry, Naruto. I got a little carried away there." Tsunade said embarrassedly.

"That's okay, Obaa-chan. I forgive you," He said rubbing the back of his head while he sheepishly grinned.

"Oh, and Naruto," She said warmly.

"Yes," He answered back, looking straight into eyes.

"It's good to have you back but…. DON'T CALL ME OBAA-CHAN!" She punched him square in the face, sending him straight through the wall, leaving a gaping hole and an unconscious Naruto lying under a pile of rubble.

"Did you have to hit him so hard?" Jiraiya asked squinting at the thought of the pain.

"What the heck was that?" a certain pink-haired kunoichi said to no one in particular. She had been peacefully practicing her medical jutsu at the time when she was interrupted by a loud crashing sound followed by a rumble.

"Someone must have upset Tsunade-sama again," She said sighing as she went up the stairs to see if the person wasn't injured too badly. She was about to open the door to Tsunade's office when she saw a blonde, blue-eyed, and in her opinion, highly attractive boy laying against a wall opposite of a hole covered in rubble.

"_He must have made Tsunade-sama extremely mad_," She thought as she ran up to his limp body to check if he was even still alive.

First, she checked his arms and shoulders to see if they were broken. She noted how his biceps and triceps were extremely well built. Not in the body builder sense where they were to big, but big enough to be noticeable. She lifted up his shirt to verify that his abdominals and rib cage weren't damaged. After a few moments, the realization hit her that she was actually groping his chest, feeling over his well toned abs and his perfect pectorals. She jerked her hands away and mentally scolded herself for thinking about things like that while a person was injured. Shaking it off, she proceeded to fix his clothing and pick him up off of the ground, blushing madly at how good his skin felt against hers.

"Sorry for barging in like this, Tsunade-sama, but I found this person lying on the ground outside your office." Sakura said carrying him into her office and setting him gently onto the ground. After a few seconds, Naruto began to stir.

"What happened?" Naruto said groggily as he sat up and stood to his feet. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the sight of vibrant, pink hair.

"_Wait. There's only one person I know that has pink hair_." Naruto thought.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," He said softly. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Do I know you?" She asked looking at him questioningly. Naruto's head hung low with a look of defeat evident on his face.

"Doesn't anyone remember me? Come on. You would think blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks would stand out in someone's memory." Naruto said. It was at that point that Sakura realized who he was.

"Wait, Naruto. Is that really you?" she asked disbelievingly.

"The one and only," He replied as he flashed her one of his famous foxy grins. She ran up to him and quickly wrapped her arms around his torso while giving him a girlish scream.

"There's no way you're Naruto. I can't believe it. You've gotten so much taller and you got rid of the orange jumpsuit. You look so much better in black and you…" She was stopped by Naruto putting a finger over her lips.

"It's good to see you to, Sakura-chan," Naruto said happily.

"Sorry. It's just that you've changed so much." She said apologizing.

"Well I'm not the only one that has changed, Sakura-chan. I have to say, I like the new outfit and I'm glad you decided to keep your hair short. It looks good on you." Naruto said as Sakura blushed the darkest shade of red that she has ever blushed before.

"_Nice, kid. Keep that up and you'll be in her pants in no time_." Jiraiya thought as he saw the scene developing in front of him.

"Sakura, shouldn't you be practicing your healing techniques right now." Tsunade said accusingly.

"My apologies, Tsunade-sama. I'm sorry Naruto, but I must return to training." She said.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. But you can make it up to me by letting me treat you to ramen tonight." He said grinning. She mulled it over for a few seconds before making her decision.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll meet you there at eight o'clock. Goodbye Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Shizune-sama. Goodbye Naruto-kun." She said saying Naruto's name as seductively as possible.

"Bye Sakura-chan," Naruto said waving goodbye to her.

"Hey, Tsunade, I just remembered that I haven't taken the Chuunin exam yet. Do you know when the next one is?" Naruto asked.

"Actually the next one isn't that far from now and Sakura hasn't taken it either. But since you don't have a third teammate anymore because of…well, you know…" Tsunade said in a sorrowful voice. "I can't let you take it."

"What if I find someone to replace him?" Naruto said as the idea popped in his head.

"I don't see why not. If you can find someone, then I'll let you take it." She said striking the nice guy pose.

"Thanks, Tsunade. You're the best. Well, I better get going. See ya, Ero-sennin." He said walking out the door.

"Hey, Naruto. I need you to meet me tonight at nine." Jiraiya said yelling after him.

"Can do, Ero-sennin. See ya."

"And I said to stop calling me that you little…oh forget it." Jiraiya said sighing.

"He really has grown up, hasn't he Jiraiya?" Tsunade said leaning back in her chair and putting her hands behind her head.

"Yeah, I guess." He said leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. He turned around and looked out of the window to see him leaping from roof to roof.

"_Yep, just like his father_," Jiraiya thought as he stared proudly at the blonde boy.

After training for several hours, Naruto decided that it was time to go meet Sakura at Ichikaru's ramen bar. His previous workout had left him covered in sweat from head to toe. Carrying a one and a half ton boulder while wearing 500 pound weights on both of you legs and arms all the while walking on water will do that to you. Before going, he decided to go to his house to take a shower. His apartment was very clean for having not been used in three years. Ignoring that thought, he proceeded to take a shower, which he finished quickly due to him running low on time. Deciding that his training clothes would be inappropriate, he donned a black shirt with the word Konoha written in red letters and black and tan cargo shorts and headed out the door. As he got nearer, he could smell the ramen radiating off the bar. It's been a long time since he had Ichikaru's ramen and could hardly wait to taste it in his mouth. He noticed Sakura already seated when he approached and took a seat next to her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said happily.

"Oh, hello Naruto," She replied.

"Can I help you two," A girl with long, brown hair asked as she approached them from behind the counter.

"Yes. Sakura-chan, what would you like to eat." Naruto asked her, already knowing what he wanted.

"I would like to order your diet ramen please," She said.

"Give me two bowls of miso ramen, three bowls of pork ramen, and…" Naruto was cut off by Sakura placing a hand over his mouth.

"I think that's good for now." She said sweat dropping. How he managed to stomach all that food was beyond her.

A couple of minutes later she brought out their food. As soon as they received it, Naruto began swallowing it as if there wasn't going to be any ramen left in the world. Soon, five bowls turned into fifteen bowls and he showed no sign of stopping. But the way he ate it surprised Sakura the most. Instead of the way he used to eat it, wildly slurping it down, he ate it maturely and gracefully, eating it quickly but without spilling a drop anywhere on his face or the ground. She noticed that the waitress was sweating, trying desperately to keep up with Naruto's pace. Of course, Naruto tunes out everything else when he's eating so he didn't notice this.

"I'm sorry about this. Sometimes he gets really hungry and he can't control himself." She said apologizing to her.

"Oh that's quite alright. I'm used to it. Your friend here kind of reminds me of this little boy that used to come by here everyday. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes and could eat his body weight in ramen. Back then he was about the same age as me and he always cheered me up when he came." She said reminiscing.

"Could I have another bowl please, Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked. She looked him over, noticing that he looked just like an older version of the blonde she just described to Sakura. "_Could it really be him?_" She thought.

"How do you know my name." She asked in a confused tone.

"Don't you remember? It's me, Naruto." He replied. She stood there dazed for a few moments before jumping over the counter and tackling him in a fan-girlish frenzy.

"I can't believe your back. Look at you. You're so tall." She said giddy as a schoolgirl. "_And not to mention hot_._"_

"Thanks Ayame-chan." He said rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, you just have to tell me what happened while you were gone." She said pulling him by the arm and forcing him to sit down while she took a seat next to him.

Naruto went on about his and Jiraiya's three year trip and about their exploits throughout. They mostly involved Jiraiya getting stuck in a bad situation and Naruto having to bail him out of it. He then explained the training he went through, which virtually consisted of Naruto practicing taijutsu with a few ninjutsu thrown in to the mix. He also learned a little bit of kenjutsu as well from a sword specialist they met on their travels.

"Hey, Ayame. I'm back from my delivery." A gruff voice said as it approached them.

"Hello, father. You'll never guess who this is." She said. Tseuchi eyed him suspiciously before realizing who it was.

"Hey, how has it been, Naruto? Hello Sakura." He said.

"Hey," They both replied.

"Hey, old man, your ramen is still the best." Naruto said taking in another mouthful.

"I'm glad you still like it," He said.

They talked for another twenty minutes before Sakura decided to go home, which Naruto decided to walk her back.

"See ya, Ayame-chan, old man." Naruto said walking off after Sakura.

"Bye, Naruto," She said dreamily while waving goodbye and sighing.

"Well, here we are," Naruto said walking up to Sakura's front door and opening it to let her in.

"Thank you, Naruto," She said smiling as she entered.

"Alright, I have to go meet Ero-sennin, so I'll see ya. Oh and if you ever need anything, you know who to call," He said smirking while turning around and walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Bye Naruto," She said softly while closing her door. Once it was closed, she fell down and leaned against it.

"You know you want him," Inner Sakura said.

"_No I don't. It's just the same old Naruto."_ She said having an internal debate with her inner persona.

"You know that's not true. He's changed, and for the better," Inner Sakura said smirking at that last comment.

"_Let's just drop it alright,"_ She said standing up and brushing herself off. She noticed a tag with a summoning insignia on it attached to her upper left arm. Performing the necessary seals, she opened it up to reveal a sakura flower in full bloom with a note attached to it.

It read: _To Sakura, may you bloom into the wonderful person that I know you are. Your friend, Naruto._

She stared at it before smiling warmly.

"Hello honey. Where did you get that flower from?" Her mother said as she walked into the room. Sakura simply stood there holding the flower close to her heart.

"Naruto," She spoke quietly to herself with a smile on her face.

"Sorry I'm late Ero-sennin. I was having dinner with Sakura-chan and I kind of lost track of time," Naruto said as he walked to the entrance of the Hokage tower where Jiraiya was waiting for him.

"It's about time you got here. I have more important things to attend to than wait around for you all day." Jiraiya spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, like what. Peek on women in hot springs." Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Look, that's not the point. Anyway, meet me at your regular training grounds at eight tomorrow morning," He said seriously.

"Alright, I'll be there. Goodnight, Ero-sennin." Naruto said walking back toward his apartment. Jiraiya was about to tell him to stop calling him his well-deserved nickname, but he decided against it since it was late.

Naruto quickly entered his house and performed the nightly rituals before finally laying on his bed and going to sleep. But unknown to him, strange things were going on inside him. Or more accurately, the cell which contained Kyuubi.

"**I've been in this damned cell for too long. But, if this plan works, I'll finally be able to get out. Then I can see my wonderful Naruto-kun**." A female voice said from inside the cage.

"**You know this is probably not going to work. At the worst you'll kill us all. I want to get out of here as much as you do, but I don't want to die while doing it**." Another deep voice also said from inside the cage.

"**Oh it will work alright. We will be free and Naruto will still be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra**." The female voice replied.

"**Alright, if you say so**." The deep voice said.

Well that's chapter one. Unlike other authors, I'm not going to beg for you to review. Just do it if you want to but don't feel obligated. Hopefully chapter 2 will be out soon.


	2. Brilliant Red

Hey guys. Sorry it took so long but I had to deal with all this stuff at school but I'm back and I should be able to update more often… hopefully. Oh and I wont tell you who's in the harem because I really don't know myself. Anyway, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"**So basically that's the plan. What do you think?" **The female voice from the night before asked.

"**That's actually a good plan. And here I thought I was supposed to be the smart one**." The other male voice replied sarcastically.

"**Yeah and once we're out of here I finally be able to see my precious Naruto-kun**." The feminine voice said dreamily.

"**Hey he's waking up so we should be getting ready now**." The male voice said fading out.

"**Hai. I'm not missing this chance**." She said fading out as well.

Haruno Sakura quickly leapt from rooftop to rooftop heading for a certain blonde ninja's house. Jiraiya came to her early in the morning to ask that she wake Naruto up since he knew he would either forget or sleep in. She arrived at the address Jiraiya gave her only moments later and loudly knocked on the door. After she gave Jiraiya's message to him, she was hoping that he would invite her into his house.

Naruto was awoken from his slumber by a loud rapping sound on his door. Of all the times for someone to come visit him, it had to be early in the morning.

"Go away," He yelled in an attempt to let the person know that he or she wasn't welcome. Of course it didn't work since the knocking only got louder.

"Naruto, you come open this door right this instant." Sakura yelled furiously as she almost broke down the door with her insane strength.

"Alright already, I'm coming." He said getting up out of his bed to go answer the door.

"_Nobody ever wants to come visit me in the afternoon. It's always in the morning or right when I'm about to go to sleep at night_." Naruto thought as he trudged to his front door. Undoing all of the locks on the door, he slowly opened the door.

"Hey, how are you doing, Sakura-chan," He said in a sleepy tone while leaning against his door post and rubbing his eye. To say Sakura was surprised at what she saw would be an understatement. In front of her was Naruto wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, his pectorals and abs in full view. Every muscle from his biceps to his abdominals was flawlessly shaped and tanned to perfection.

"Umm, Sakura-chan. Are you okay?" Naruto asked waving a hand in front of his face, oblivious to the fact that she was staring dumbfounded at his chest.

"What…Oh yeah, I'm fine." She replied regaining her composure and wiping a bit of drool off the corner of her mouth.

"Alright, if you say so, Sakura-chan." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Jiraiya-sensei said not to forget to meet him for training this morning." She said.

"Wait, what time is it now?" Naruto asked.

"It's about 7:45. You better hurry if you want to make it on time." She said.

"Crap, I have to go Sakura-chan." Naruto said running back into his room and throwing on some training clothes. He quickly brushed his teeth and then left his house, running past Sakura in the process. He then quickly turned back around and came back to her.

"Thanks for reminding me. You're the best." He said absent-mindedly giving her a quick peck on her cheek and quickly dashing at full speed to the training grounds. This caused almost all of the blood in her body to rush to her face.

"_SHANNARO_!!!" Inner Sakura yelled as she held up her fingers in the victory sign.

"Whew, I made it just in time." Naruto said breathing heavily as he walked to the middle of the training field.

"Good, you actually made it on time. I was beginning to wonder if you would start acting like Kakashi." Jiraiya said walking up to him.

"If I was going to be late all the time like Kakashi-sensei, I would make up better excuses," Naruto said sarcastically.

Somewhere out in Iwagakure, Hatake Kakashi was perched on a tree branch overlooking a camp of about fifteen to twenty Iwa ninja. He was about to strike when all of a sudden he sneezed, giving away his position. As soon as he did, all twenty ninja surrounded him, the intent to kill radiating off of them.

"Because nothing could go right today." He said sarcastically as he sighed hopelessly.

"Anyway we're not here to think of good excuses, we're here to train." Jiraiya said getting into a serious mood, which was a new thing in his book.

"So what are we going to do? Chakra control exercises, weight training, meditation, practicing stealth by sneaking into a women's onsen." Naruto said jokingly as he stretched his arms and legs in order to get warmed up.

"That's a good idea for later, but no. We're going to do something different," Jiraiya said getting an evil grin on his face.

"And that would be…" Naruto said confused. Ero-sennin never did anything new, since he wasted all his time peeping on women or going to brothels.

"Simple, we're going to spar. By doing this, I can measure how much you've progressed in the three years we have been traveling together." He replied.

"Really, what are the rules?" Naruto said suspiciously.

"You know. Taijutsu of all types are allowed, simple ninjutsu, no summoning, and simple genjutsu if you know any. So, are you up for it?" He responded.

"Of course I'm up for it. The question is can you handle it?" Naruto said cracking his knuckles and popping out the kinks in his neck.

"Still as cocky as ever, brat. Don't blame me if you get hurt." He retorted getting into a battle position.

"I don't intend to." Naruto countered getting into a similar battle stance.

Both ninja glared each other down from opposite sides of the training ground, neither one making any sound or movement. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. A single leaf fell from a nearby tree and floated gently into the middle of the soon-to-be battlefield. The moment it landed, the two ninja dashed at each other at an unbelievable speed, each brandishing a kunai, and locked as the two kunai connected. They both jumped back and Jiraiya threw the kunai at Naruto. The Kyuubi container countered by throwing his kunai at Jiraiya's, blocking it in the process. The two kunai connected and flipped up into the air. Both Jiraiya and Naruto caught one in midair and came at each other at full force, creating a small shockwave at the collision.

"Not bad, kid. But I think it's time we step it up a notch." He said leaping back a few meters in order to create some distance between him and Naruto.

"I intend to." He said performing a few handseals. "Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!" He yelled as a stream of fireballs spewed from his mouth.

"You've got to do better than that, kid." He said. With a wave of his hand, a huge gust of wind doused the fireballs.

"Always look underneath the underneath, Ero-sennin." Naruto retorted as the wind blew out the fire to reveal shuriken coming towards him.

"_Good, he's thinking ahead_," Jiraiya thought as he dodged the shuriken by leaning back matrix-style. Reacting quickly, Naruto used the body flicker technique to capture Jiraiya in an arm lock.

"I've got you now, Ero-sennin." Naruto said tightening his grip on Jiraiya.

"Really, now do you Naruto?" Jiraiya said poofing out of existence.

"_When the hell did he learn Kage Buushin no Jutsu_?" Naruto thought, stumbling backwards.

"Hey kid, above you," Jiraiya yelled as Naruto looked up in horror to see a giant toad with twin swords strapped to its back about to squash him from above. Naruto ran faster than he had ever run before, just barely escaping being crushed from the enormous frog. When the smoke cleared, the only thing in the middle of the field was the massive amphibian and Jiraiya standing on its head. Not to mention Naruto and three of his clones surrounding Jiraiya, all holding a kunai up to his neck.

"Ero-sennin, what the hell was that? You said no summoning," The real Naruto said screaming agitatedly at him.

"Shinobi don't play by the rules, remember kid," Jiraiya replied smirking. The giant frog that they were both standing on suddenly disappeared, leaving a giant boulder covered in explosive tags. The tags then exploded, Naruto and his clones just barely escaping the blast radius. A huge cloud of smoke then spewed out of the resulting crater.

"Whew, that was close," Naruto said to one of his clones who then nodded back. Just then, Jiraiya burst through the pillar of smoke and began rushing at Naruto and his clones at an inhuman speed. He plowed straight into the first, destroying it in the process. Another clone attempted to wound him with a kunai, swinging his arm across horizontally. Jiraiya dodged by ducking and countered with an uppercut to the jaw, eliminating him as well. He then took out the last clone by hurling a few shuriken at it which impaled the clone in the chest.

"Now for the real one," Jiraiya said pivoting on his foot and rushing toward the real Naruto. He then began gathering chakra into the palm of his hand as he sprinted toward the Kyuubi container.

"Rasengan!" Jiraiya yelled as he slammed the sphere of chakra into Naruto's abdomen.

"Gotcha, Ero-sennin," Naruto said smirking as he transformed into nothing more than a cloud of smoke.

"_What the hell_?" Jiraiya thought as he searched his surroundings for any sign of the blonde haired ninja. Just then, four Naruto clones leapt up from the ground below.

"U,"

"Zu,"

"Ma,"

"Ki,"

"Naruto Rend…" Naruto was just about to finish his ever-famous combo with a downward kick to Jiraiya's head, when he felt an overwhelming surge of pain overtake his body. He instantly fell to the ground and doubled-over, grasping his abdomen and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Kid, what's wrong," Jiraiya said rushing up to him. When he got there, Naruto was already knocked out cold, growing paler by the second. His eyes began to change into a reddish hue and his fingernails began to grow longer while his whisker marks began to grow darker. Having no idea what was going on with him, Jiraiya decided to take him to Tsunade. He gently slung Naruto over his shoulder and sprinted as fast as he could toward the Konoha hospital.

"**Yes, it worked. This is going much better than I had hoped for**." The female voice from before said cheerily.

"**Don't get cocky. You know that old saying 'something that can go wrong, will,"** The other voice said.

"**Jeez, don't get your tails in a bunch. Everything will work out fine**. **Alright, phase one complete, now for phase two**." She said.

A few minutes later, Jiraiya entered the Konoha hospital, an unconscious and slightly transformed Naruto slung over his shoulder. Upon entering the building, he found Shizune sitting on a couch in the lobby and drinking some tea. If anybody would know where Tsunade was, it would be her.

"Hello Jiraiya-sama. What are you doing here?" Shizune asked, taking another sip of her tea.

"Shizune, Where is Tsunade? This is important." Jiraiya said seriously.

"Can't it wait Jiraiya-sama? I'm on my only break for the day and… WHAT HAPPENED TO NARUTO?" She yelled upon seeing the blonde in the transformed state.

"I have one idea but other than that I have no clue. That's why I need to see Tsunade right away." He said staring down at his partially transformed state.

"Alright follow me, Jiraiya-sama," Shizune as she ran down a hospital hall, Jiraiya following closely behind.

"_Don't worry, Naruto-kun. We'll find Tsunade-sama_." Shizune thought running down the hall.

"Where am I?" Naruto said as slowly stirred from his deep unconsciousness. He looked around only to find himself in a murky, dank room. The place seemed familiar to him, as if he had been here before.

"Wait a minute, this place seems familiar. A dark room, floor is completely wet, giant steel cage, no shred of hope. I'm definitely in the seal." Naruto said rising up off of the ground, getting to his feet, and brushing some dirt off of his clothes.

"Hello, is anybody there?" Naruto yelled but to no avail. "Hey stupid fox, answer me when I call you."

"**Hello, Kit**," The Great fox demon said.

"Stupid fox, why the hell did you knock me out? I was about to kick the crap out of Ero-sennin," Naruto shouted angrily. It's not everyday that you beat a legendary ninja.

"**Because that was the only way to get you in here so I could talk to you. There is something you needed to know**," It retorted calmly.

"Alright, I'm listening," Naruto said.

"**That accursed seal the Fourth Hokage put on you didn't exactly turn out liked he would have hoped for. The requirement for this seal was the cost of his life, but a human for a demon doesn't exactly measure up on a scale. The power was too much for just him to seal away with his own chakra, which means the seal is incomplete. Because of not being complete, in the fifteen years since you were born, the seal has been slowly crumbling away, and now has a crack, though not visible from the outside**."

"I see. Continue." Naruto said respectfully.

"**If that crack keeps growing at the rate that it is, the seal will eventually implode in on itself, and obliterate both you and me within a few months. And frankly, I don't want to die**." It finished.

"Crap, not only did I not beat Ero-sennin today, but now I'm going to die." Naruto said sarcastically. "Is there anything we can do about it?"

"**Yes, there is one thing. I will transfer some of my chakra through the seal, fixing it in the process. The problem is once the chakra fixes the seal, it will have nowhere else to go**." Kyuubi said.

"I have an idea. How much chakra will it take to fix it?" Naruto asked, an idea forming in his head.

"**It will take about two of my tails worth of chakra. Why do you ask**?" Kyuubi replied.

"Perfect, just follow my lead. I want to do this as soon as possible, so I better get going. Just make sure you're ready," Naruto said beginning to exit out of his mind.

"**Alright, just remember. If you destroy both of us, I'll kill you**." Kyuubi said before Naruto left.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

"Jiraiya, he's stirring." Tsunade said as she walked up to a now awakening Naruto, who was resting in a hospital bed.

"Hey, are you okay, kid?" Jiraiya asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ero-sennin." Naruto answered while rubbing the back of his head.

"While you were asleep, I checked you over to see if anything was wrong when I saw that the seal was glowing red. Do you know anything about it Naruto?" Tsunade asked him grim-faced.

"Yes, I do," Naruto responded as he began to tell them about what had happened inside of the seal.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Jiraiya asked as he leaned against one of the walls in the room.

"I have a plan already that me and Kyuubi talked about. But we will need a big space to do it, in order for the least amount of destruction." Naruto said.

"Alright, follow me," Tsunade said as she lead them out of the hospital. About ten minutes later, Naruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune all reached team sevens training ground, which had previously been the battleground of Naruto and Jiraiya. Tsunade looked around to find a great number of holes and debris strewed out over the field.

"What did you two do here, start a hurricane?" Tsunade asked.

"Sort of. But anyway, let's do this." Naruto said sitting down into a cross-legged position and beginning to once again enter the seal.

"Alright fox, we're ready when you are." Naruto said cockily to the giant demon.

"**Once I've put in enough chakra through the crack, get that stupid, perverted ninja to seal up the seal so I don't overload it**." Kyuubi said starting to gather chakra around his body.

"Okay, let's go," Naruto said as he braced himself.

A huge amount of red chakra began to swirl around Naruto as he screamed at the top of his lungs. The ground around him began to rip apart as the chakra seemed to gather up above him, forming itself into the head of giant fox.

"NARUTO!" Shizune screamed as she rushed forward to try and help him.

"Shizune, stop" Jiraiya said cutting her off before she could run any closer. "If you get to close to him, you'll die instantly."

"**Okay kid. Whatever you were going to do, you better do it now**." Kyuubi said as the chakra began to intensify, creating almost a tornado of red chakra around him.

"Alright, here goes nothing." Naruto yelled performing a handseal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" He shouted as two clones then appeared in front of him.

"_Kyuubi, send the chakra into those two clones_." Naruto screamed inside his mind. Kyuubi did as he was told, as a stream of red chakra flew into the two clones from Naruto's stomach. After Kyuubi decided he had put enough through, he immediately told Naruto to stop.

"Ero-sennin, do it now," Naruto said as he began to fall down. Jiraiya immediately rushed towards him. "Gogyō Fūin," He yelled as he slammed his open palm into the seal on Naruto's stomach, cutting off the supply of demonic chakra. The chakra then surrounded the two clones before finally making a huge explosion, sending both Jiraiya and Naruto flying back before hitting the ground. When they looked up, there was a huge crater where the two clones stood, and smoke radiating off of it, to where they couldn't see past it. When the smoke cleared, two figures were standing in the middle of the crater, one with long, brilliant red hair and deep, vibrant blue eyes like Naruto's. The other couldn't be seen clearly by either two of them, but it decided to speak up anyway.

"Hello, gaki."

Well, there it is, Chapter two. Again, sorry it took me so long for those who actually read this. Oh yeah, thank you for reading. It put a smile on my face just to get three reviews, all of which told me my story did not suck so far ) For those that didn't get this chapter, chapter three should clear it up some, so don't worry. Anyway, I'll try to have chapter three up sooner. Bye, for now.


	3. The Trouble with Foxes

Hey guys, it's me again. And I brought a present, chapter three. Sorry for the wait, wouldn't let me upload Sunday. Oh, and for all of you who didn't get the last chapter, this should clear things up a bit. Anyway, here is chapter three.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

"Ero-sennin, do it now," Naruto said as he began to fall down. Jiraiya immediately rushed towards him. "Gogyō Fūin," He yelled as he slammed his open palm into the seal on Naruto's stomach, cutting off the supply of demonic chakra. The chakra then surrounded the two clones before finally making a huge explosion, sending both Jiraiya and Naruto flying back about ten feet before hitting the ground. When they looked up, there was a huge crater where the two clones stood, and smoke radiating off of it, to where they couldn't see past it. When the smoke began to clear a little bit, they both could barely see two figures standing in the middle of the crater, one with long, brilliant red hair and deep, vibrant blue eyes like Naruto's. The other couldn't be seen as clearly as the first one by either Naruto or Jiraiya, but it decided to speak up anyway.

"Hello, gaki." It said in a deep and sinister tone as it made its way past the smoke toward Naruto before finally stopping in front of his face. 'It' was actually a red fox with nine, bushy tails flowing behind it and bright yellow eyes (A/N: Think Kirara from Inuyasha, except with nine tails instead of two and red fur with fox ears). Naruto stared at it, his mouth hanging agape.

"What the hell are you staring at?" It asked cocking its head to the side.

"AHHH, IT'S A TALKING NEKO!" Naruto screamed pointing at it.

"I AM NOT A CAT, YOU DUMBASS!" The fox yelled back irately.

"Now, now. Don't be so mean," The other one said strolling up to the two of them. Naruto looked up to see a beautiful young girl with fiery, red hair and gentle, brilliant blue eyes. She was the picture of perfection having absolutely no blemishes or marks on her pale skin and she was quite well endowed, he noticed.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," She said holding out a hand to help him up.

"Oh, thanks. I…" Naruto was about to continue when he noticed one small little detail about her that he hadn't realized before. She was completely undressed. His entire face turned completely blood red before he passed out from lack of blood due to a massive nosebleed. It took her a minute to realize exactly why he passed out and she immediately began trying to cover herself. Tsunade, taking pity on her, took of her green robe and put it around her.

"Thank you," She said sincerely as she tied it around her. Jiraiya then began to walk up to the fox, thinking it was the only one here qualified enough to answer his questions.

"Alright, I've got a few questions to ask you." He said sitting down on a rock next to it.

"I can probably answer all your questions if I just tell you what happened. But you might want to wake up that baka over there." It said pointing one of its tails toward the unconscious blonde. Jiraiya then walked over to him.

"Hey, brat, wake up." Jiraiya said standing over him. Naruto didn't seem to be moving. Getting annoyed, Jiraiya picked up a nearby rock and performed a henge on it in order to make it look like ramen. It was only a matter of time after he placed it next to Naruto's head until he would wake up.

"Oh boy, ramen," Naruto said jumping up and grabbing the bowl of 'ramen'. He tried to slurp the whole thing down only to find that it wasn't real. He then hung his head low in defeat.

"Okay, now what happened?" Jiraiya asked turning back to the fox and motioning for everyone to gather around.

"I'm sure Naruto already explained what happened so far with the seal and all," The fox said getting a nod from everybody. "Naruto actually had a really great idea. Sending the Kyuubi's chakra into two Kage Buushins was a great concept, but Naruto didn't calculate that it was the Kyuubi's chakra." He said stressing the word Kyuubi. "Demon chakra acts differently then normal chakra and has different side effects on jutsu then human chakra. Like at the Valley of the End, Naruto usually has to form a clone before he can perform Rasengan, but he was able to make it without it as well as make it more powerful. I don't think he has ever noticed this, but when he makes a clone using the demon chakra, it actually lasts longer, but it's usually not visible because of the whole splitting your chakra in half concept, which doesn't leave enough chakra to each clone to be noticeable. There was so much chakra sent into those two clones that they actually began to form real, living flesh. As she was forming, she performed a henge, or as Naruto calls it Sexy no jutsu, giving her the form of a beautiful fifteen year old girl. I, on the other hand, wanted to come out as a fox. Granted I wanted to be bigger than this, but beggars can't be choosers, or so they say." He finished.

"Alright, I think I understand now. But I still have one more question." Naruto said.

"And that would be?" The fox replied back.

"Where did you guys come from? Kyuubi's the only one in the seal." He asked.

"The great Kyuubi not only has nine tails, but nine different personalities as well, one for each tail. When he transferred the chakra over, he sent two tails of it, in effect sending two personalities over. I am the smart, calculating personality and she is the personality that is totally and completely in love with…" The girl then sent him a death glare, killer intent radiating off of her. Sensing his own demise, he quickly changed what he was going to say. "Dango," He said just barely saving himself. She quickly gave him a wink.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune all noticed this and realized what he was going to say. All three of them shot a glance over to the blonde.

"Why is everybody staring at me?" He asked. Everybody fell down anime-style at how dense he could be, while she just silently thanked Kami he was an idiot when it came to women.

"Never mind, it's nothing." Jiraiya spoke as he and the others stood up.

"Well, that basically covers everything. But the question is what are we going to do now?" The fox said walking up towards the girl. "We don't have anywhere to go."

"I guess you could live in a spare apartment," Tsunade said.

"They can't. All of the spare apartments at this time are occupied." Shizune said.

"How do you know that?" Tsunade asked her while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, the next Chuunin exams are beginning in about two weeks and shinobi from other villages are bound to be taking up space. I also found a document with that information right next to an ocean of drool when I came to wake you up from you afternoon nap." Shizune replied innocently. Tsunade just gave her the 'you didn't need to add that' look.

"That reminds me. I still need to find another teammate for the exams." Naruto said remembering that little detail. At hearing this information, the red-headed girl perked up her ears up. She then began to formulate an idea. If she was on a team with Naruto, it would make it that much easier to win him over and since she was basically had the chakra of one of the tails of the great Kyuubi, nothing could possibly go wrong.

"If you can't find anybody else to do it, I guess I can." She said, making her presence known again.

"Really! That would be great." Naruto exclaimed as he enveloped her in a giant hug. It did hurt a little bit, but she was willing to let that slide thanks to the close contact between her and the blonde ninja.

"But still, where are they going to live now?" Shizune asked.

"They could just live with me," Naruto said happily as he released his embrace.

"Really?" She asked as she began to picture her and Naruto in an apartment alone, with nobody else around. She then mentally scolded herself for thinking such things.

"Yeah, why not? I have enough space and it does get pretty lonely when I'm all there by myself." Naruto said.

"Wait a minute. I'm not living with this dumbass." The fox yelled in a fit of irritation.

"Oh yes you will." The red haired girl ordered as she began radiating killer intent towards him, glaring at him with her most menacing stare.

"Yes ma'am." He said, hiding behind Naruto's leg and cowering in fear for its life.

"Well, that solves that problem. I'll go and file some documents for you and come up with some back-story. In two days, Kakashi will rate your performance to see if you are qualified for a career as a shinobi. Anyway, that about covers it. Let's go, Shizune." Tsunade said.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said as she began to trail behind her.

"Oh, Obaa-chan. Do you know what time it is?" Naruto asked yelling back at her. Tsunade stared at the position of the sun for a moment before turning back to him.

"I'd say it's about 7:45 p.m. You were knocked out for a long time back there." She said all-knowingly.

"How did you figure that out?" Naruto asked in amazement that someone could tell the exact time of day just by looking at the sun.

"Oh, I have a watch." She said holding up her wrist for everyone to see. At this, everybody, once again, fell down anime-style.

"Anyway, I best be off. Goodbye, Naruto." Tsunade said as she and Shizune took off in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"I guess I should be going as well. I need to be getting back to my research. See ya, kid." Jiraiya said as, he to, walked away.

"Wow, that sensei of yours is really dedicated to his work, Naruto-kun." The red-haired girl said in amazement.

"Trust me. If you knew what his work was, you'd be as ashamed as I am." Naruto said quietly in embarrassment at the habits of his sensei.

"Anyway, we should be getting on our way." Naruto said instantly perking up. He motioned for her and the fox to come along, which they did. The fox jumped up onto the girl's shoulder, saying something about being too tired to walk. Naruto began to dash at a regular shinobi speed, when he noticed that they weren't behind him. He quickly turned around and headed back towards them.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"I guess I'm just not used to being in a real body yet." She said trying to run but stumbling a bit.

"Then we'll just walk home then. Come on," He said grabbing her hand and walking with her toward the direction of his apartment, which made a bright, red blush appear on her face. As they left, two figures hopped from the nearby trees and onto the ground, dressed in full ANBU attire and in place of the ANBU tattoo, was a number.

"Did you get all of that?" The first one said in a husky voice.

"Yeah, I got it all. Let's report back to…him." The second one answered, adding emphasis on the last word.

"Right," With that the two were gone just as quickly as they came.

"So what was it like living in that seal?" Naruto asked trying to make small talk as they rounded a street corner.

"It was horrible. It's always dark and dreary. The only thing that kept me from going insane in that hell was the little fox on my shoulder." She said, reaching over and scratching behind his ears.

"So, can you explain to me how that works again? I mean, I thought that the Kyuubi was just one demon." Naruto asked.

"Well, as you've been told already, the Kyuubi is made up of nine personalities, one for each tail. They can all interact with each other, but I usually just decided to talk with only him." She responded.

"Why would you want to talk to him? He seems like a jerk to me." Naruto said whispering in her ear.

"I heard that, you dumbass." The fox said, glaring daggers through Naruto.

"Who are you calling a dumbass, baka-neko?" Naruto said yelling back at him.

"I AM NOT A CAT, YOU…" He was cut off by the girl putting her hand over his jaws.

"Sure he is a little bit…insensitive…sometimes, but on the inside he is a good person, well, a good fox kit." She said, quickly fixing her mistake.

"Okay, if you say so." Naruto said putting his hands in his pockets.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" A strange man said as he walked up to Naruto and the girl, followed by two other guys.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?" He asked as he inched closer to her, completely ignoring Naruto. She backed away slowly, attempting to put some space in between her and him. He kept inching forward with her edging back until she hit a wall and fell down.

"Where are you going?" He asked reaching out attempting to violate her. Out of nowhere, Naruto caught his hand before he had any chance to make contact and broke his wrist, the cracking sound resonating throughout the area.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The man said as he shook off the pain and charged Naruto, who sidestepped and kneed him in the stomach, looking downwards the whole time. He knocked the guy back about twenty feet into the side of a building, leaving a gaping hole. Lifting up his eyes, he stared at the remaining two with bright red irises.

"If either one of you try that, I'll kill you." He said in a menacing growl. The other two guys, getting the hint, ran off as fast as they could in sheer terror as he turned around to the girl.

"_NARUTO-KUN IS SO HOT_!!!" She thought as she watched him.

"You okay?" Naruto said offering a hand to her, which she gladly accepted.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Oh and thanks," She said blushing and averting his gaze.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look like you have a fever," Naruto said putting a hand to her forehead, mistaking her blush as a sign of a fever. At that instant, she blushed even brighter.

"You definitely have a fever. Come on, hop on my back and I'll carry you. It will be quicker this way." He said bending down to allow her access to get on, to which she gladly accepted. Once she was secure, he took off.

"_Naruto-kun is always so caring and gentle. Maybe that's why I like him so much_." She thought as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. Her action made him blush a shade of red as well, but he decided to just let her be.

"Alright, we're home," Naruto said as they all walked through the front door of his apartment.

"This place is a peace of crap." The fox said as it hopped off of the girls shoulder and looked at its surroundings.

"Really, if you think that's true, then you can sleep outside," Naruto said sarcastically.

"I think this place is great," The fox said, quickly changing his mind and jumping onto his sofa.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Naruto said closing his front door. He walked over to his cupboard, only to find nothing but cups of instant ramen there.

"Well, looks like we're having ramen tonight," He said taking some cups out of the cabinet and inserting them into his microwave. After they were done cooking, they all sat down at his table and began to eat, except for the fox.

"What the hell is this?" It said staring at the food set before it.

"It's called ramen. Try it, you'll like it." Naruto said taking in another mouthful of noodles.

"First of all, I am not eating this garbage. Second, I couldn't even eat it if I wanted to. I have no opposable thumbs." He said angrily. Thinking up a great solution, Naruto wrapped his fingers around the fox's head, and slammed his head into the bowl, holding it to prevent its escape. After struggling for a while, it just decided to give up on getting away and swallowed a mouthful of noodles. When Naruto felt him eating it, he released his grip.

"So, how was it?" The girl asked perking up an eyebrow.

"Make me more noodles or I'll claw your eyes out." It said jumping head first into the bowl and viciously devouring everything inside of it. The rest of the dinner was mostly spent in silence, other than the sounds of the fox eating.

"I'm going to go take a shower now. I've always wanted to try one of those," The girl said as she threw away her trash and headed towards Naruto's bathroom. Within seconds, the sound of water pouring out of the shower head could be heard.

"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked the fox as he threw away his garbage.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep. Having to deal with a dumbass like you drains me quite a lot." The fox said as it jumped to Naruto's couch and curled up into a ball.

"Whatever. Anyway, goodnight, Baka-neko." Naruto said as he walked into his room.

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT A…" He was suddenly cut off by Naruto slamming his door.

Naruto walked over to his bed and lay down on top of it. He had only been in Konoha for two days and he had somehow become roommates with a beautiful girl and a fox with a god complex. He sighed wearily as he thought just how this had happened. But before he could really get into it, who else but said girl walked into the room, with nothing but a towel on no less.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." She said as she strolled into the room as if nothing was wrong. For the second time that day, Naruto passed out from a massive nosebleed. It took her almost ten minutes to wake him up, but eventually he stirred.

"Thanks," He said as he took her hand.

"Um, Naruto-kun," She asked looking a little bit uneasy.

"Yes," He asked.

"Well, you do realize that there are two of us and only one bed?" She asked as a blush crept up to her face.

"I knew I was forgetting something. Well, you should take the bed and I sleep on the floor. It's only right that a lady should be more comfortable than a man." He said as he began to move to the floor.

"That's very nice of you, Naruto-kun. But I have a better solution." She said turning redder by the second.

"And what would that would be?" He asked.

"Well we could just sleep in the same bed. That is, if you want to." She said as her whole face turned a dark crimson. At hearing this, Naruto also turned red as well.

"I guess we could do that. But you might want to put on some clothes, instead of just that towel." He said rubbing the back of his head.

"But I don't have any clothes." She said.

"Well I have some that you could wear, but they might be a little loose on you." He said as he walked over to his drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. After receiving them, she walked back into the bathroom and put them on.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She said as she walked back into the room. She pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed.

"Aren't you getting in, Naruto-kun?" She asked when she noticed that he was still standing in the same place.

"Oh yeah, hold on." He said as he began to take off his shirt.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I always sleep with my shirt off. Is that a problem?" He asked her in return.

"Oh no, not at all. _That's actually a bonus_." She said as she stared at his chest, drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. Once he was done, he climbed into the bed beside her.

"I can't believe I forgot. I never got your name." He said apologetically.

"Well actually, I don't have one." She said.

"Then we'll just have to think of one for you. Let's see…" He said as he began to stare at her red hair.

"I've got it. You've got pretty, red hair and all, so how about Akane?" He asked her, hopeful that she would like it.

"That's a wonderful name, Naruto-kun." She said dreamily as she stared into his eyes.

"Alright then. Goodnight, Akane-chan." He said as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun." She said as she inched closer to him, wrapped her slender arms around his waist, and went to sleep. Naruto quickly opened his eyes when he felt her snuggling up to him. He was going to say something, but decided against it. It was late and he would hate to wake her up for something so small. Besides, even though he wouldn't actually admit it to someone, it was comforting being so close to her. He decided to forget his thoughts and quickly went back into a blissful slumber.

Well, there it is. Chapter three. Thanks guys for actually reading this. It is my first story so I wasn't expecting much, but thanks for reviewing anyway. Hopefully chapter four will be out sometime in the next two weeks. Oh and I need some outfits for Naruto. Not like ninja attire, but just casual stuff for him to wear. If you think of any, just leave it in a review for me. Anyway, bye.


	4. Shopping Spree!

Hey, it's me again. Decided to write chapter four after we finished our school play and I finally got it out. Oh and sorry about the delay. Anyway, here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter Four: Shopping Spree**

It was around seven in the morning in the village of Konohagakure. The early morning fog still permeated the air. The faint sounds of people just beginning to wake up and run their daily errands could be heard. It was still quiet in the Uzumaki residence, not one of them having woken up yet. The fox was sprawled out on Naruto's couch, still sound asleep. The other two were still in the bed, Naruto's limbs spread out over the futon, with Akane wrapping her arms around his torso and her leg positioned in between his legs. The early morning light shone through the only window and spread throughout the room, giving it an ethereal glow.

Akane slowly opened her vivid, blue eyes after having a wonderful sleep the night before. She stared at the slumbering blonde's face. The thought of just being in the same bed as him was just too great to pass up, so she decided to lie in bed instead of getting out. She tightened her grip on him and laid her head on this chest. She could feel his shallow breathing and the pounding rhythm of his heart. When he stifled out a silent snore; she just couldn't help but giggle like a lovestruck schoolgirl. She had to admit, she was totally infatuated with him. They lay like for what seemed forever before she began to formulate an idea. She slowly climbed on top of him and brought her head up to his, her hair hanging down and slightly covering his face. She then lowered her head, attempting to plant a kiss on his lips, but before she could succeed, she was startled by Naruto awakening. She quickly jumped off of him before he noticed she was there, and fell on the floor with a thump. Naruto slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes, and checked his surroundings until his eyes rested upon the crimson-haired beauty.

"Good morning, Akane-chan." He said as he stifled out a yawn. "Uh…what are you doing on the floor?" He asked looking at her quizzically.

"Oh, good morning, Naruto-kun. I…guess I just fell off of the bed while we were sleeping." She lied, rubbing the back of her head as she laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, okay. As long as you're alright." He said as he climbed out of the covers and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"Oh, trust me. I'm completely fine." She replied taking a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a few moments before Naruto spoke.

"So what are we going to do today?" Naruto asked her.

"Well, I do need some new clothes, on account of not having any. So how about we go shopping today?" She said cheerfully, hoping that he would say yes.

"Sure, why not. What could possibly go wrong?" He said smiling back at her. Oh how he would regret those exact words later.

"Really! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Naruto-kun. Wait, what am I going to wear? Ah, this is terrible." She said going into a comedic depression while Naruto just sweatdropped. Just then, Naruto heard a knock on his door. Putting on a spare t-shirt, he got off of his bed and walked heavily towards the door.

"_Why, do they always come in the morning_?" He thought as he undid the lock and pushed the door open.

"Hey, Obaa-chan." Naruto said sleepily.

"Hello, Naruto. Say, is that girl from yesterday home?" She said stepping in and looking around until her eyes rested on Akane.

"There you are. I kind of realized last night that you wouldn't have any clothes so I stopped by this store and got you something." Tsunade said handing her a package.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I'll go put it on right now." She said running into the bathroom and locking the bathroom door.

"Hey, what's with him?" Tsunade asked pointing at the slumbering fox on the sofa.

"He's probably just asleep." Naruto said walking over to him. "Hey baka-neko, wake up." At that, the fox jumped up, growling in anger and slashed Naruto's face with his claws.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Naruto asked screaming at it.

"I told you not to call me that." He said calmly.

"Then what do you want me to call you?" Naruto said, still angry.

"Something with flair, something that humans will respect, and something that will strike fear into the hearts of even the most battle hardened warriors and cause children to scream in terror at the mere mention of my name." He said poetically.

"Or I could just call you Kyu." Naruto said taking on a bored tone at having to listen to that stupid monologue.

"Yeah, I like that name too. It suits you," Tsunade added on playfully.

"_And people wonder why the Kyuubi hated humans_," Kyu thought as he mentally sighed. "Fine, whatever, just make me some more ramen." It said as it sauntered to the table and sat in its usual chair.

"Okay, I'm ready." Akane yelled from the bathroom as she prepared to step out. Everyone stared at the direction of the bathroom, waiting for her to come out. She came out with a twirl, leaned against the door, and posed.

"Alright, how do I look?" She asked. She was greeted by the sound of Naruto's jaw dropping to the ground and Kyu staring wide-eyed at her, his left eyebrow twitching.

"Do I really look that good?" She asked innocently, twirling around and letting them get a good look at her backside, which caused Naruto and Kyu to spurt blood from their noses.

"Geez, Naruto. Who knew you were such a pervert." Tsunade said jokingly.

"I'M NOT A PERVERT, DAMMIT. I'LL BE DEAD BEFORE I TURN INTO ERO-SENNIN." He yelled regaining his composure while still sporting a blush of embarrassment.

"Yeah, that's what Jiraiya said when he was your age. Anyway, I better be going. I have to get back to my paperwork." She said opening the door.

"What's the point? Your just going to go back to sleep anyway." Naruto said mumbling under his breath.

"SHUT UP, STUPID BRAT." Tsunade yelled punching him in the jaw and sending him flying into the next room.

"Alright, bye Akane, bye Kyu. Oh and tell Naruto I said bye, if he wakes up…that is." She said hinting at something as she walked out of the door while Akane and Kyu just sweatdropped.

"Wait, your name is Kyu?" She asked looking at him disbelievingly.

"Yes," is all he said said. After a few moments, she burst out laughing and fell to the ground, rolling around on the floor.

"I didn't choose it, blame the idiot back there." He said pointing to the hole Naruto made with one of his tails which only caused her to laugh even louder. Eventually she regained her composure.

"Sorry, it's just so funny for someone like you to have such a cute name." She said pinching his cheeks.

"Whatever, let's just go wake the gaki up." He said walking into the room where Naruto was currently incapacitated. "Hey, dumbass. Wake up." He said flinging one of his tails in front of Naruto's face. When this got no reaction, he resorted to biting Naruto's ear, which earned a yelp of pain from the unconscious blonde.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Naruto shouted, apparently recovering from his 'nap'. Instead of answering, Kyu just walked away without making a sound.

"That baka-neko needs an attitude adjustment." Naruto said mumbling under his breath.

"Um, Naruto-kun. Shouldn't we be going now?" Akane asked.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Hey, Kyu. Do you want to come?" Naruto asked, loud enough for the fox to hear.

"Will I be around you all day?" He asked.

"Probably," Naruto retorted.

"Then, no." Kyu said, crawling up onto the sofa and attempting to go back to sleep.

"Don't mind him, Naruto-kun, he's just cranky. Come on, let's get going." She said taking Naruto by the hand and opening the door.

"Hey, baka-neko. Don't touch my stuff and don't eat any ramen until we get back." Naruto managed to get off before being dragged by Akane.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Just go already." He said curling up into a ball.

"Alright then, bye Kyu. Come on, Naruto-kun." She said closing the door behind them. Kyu waited a few moments in silence before he realized something very important that he had forgotten.

"THAT DUMBASS DIDN'T MAKE ME BREAKFAST!"

**(Elsewhere)**

"Hey, Neji. What do you think of this one?" A girl with buns asked her white-eyed companion.

"Tenten, I think it's a great addition to your wardrobe. Perhaps you would like to try this one?" A guy in a green, spandex uniform and a bowl-shaped haircut asked her while he held up another green spandex uniform.

"No thanks, Lee. That's alright." She said sweatdropping.

"But, why not?" Lee asked feigning fake tears.

"Because…uh…" Tenten was cut off by Neji answering for her.

"Because if she wore that uniform, then she would just be a copy of you, Lee. One is better being original and coming up with their own ideas." Neji explained crossing his arms.

"Neji, as always, you are right in your youthful explanations. It would be most unyouthful for Tenten to copy me when she already has her own youthful style…" Lee went on about some speech on the virtues of the 'springtime of youth', but Tenten and Neji just tuned him out.

"Thanks, Neji." She said quietly as not to be heard by Lee.

"Anytime," Neji replied.

**(With Naruto and Akane)**

"Come on, Naruto-kun. I want to get in as much as possible today." Akane said running ahead of him. Naruto just chuckled. While she might be a 'demon', she still acted like a little child sometimes. Shaking off his thoughts, he walked at a faster pace in order to catch up with her. They walked for a few minutes before they came upon what seemed like the shopping center of Konoha. Everywhere you turned you could see a store or somebody buying something from some sort of vendor. Naruto and Akane walked side by side, her gazing at everything in sight with wide eyes and him putting his hands in his pockets and walking with his eyes closed.

"What's that?" Akane asked, pointing at a shimmering object that she spotted out of the corner of her eye. Without waiting for him to answer, she started to dart towards the booth.

"Did you say something…?" Naruto then realized that he was alone and after a brief pause, quickly went to go look for her, hoping that she wouldn't cause to much trouble.

"_We haven't even been out here for ten minutes and I'm already starting to regret the 'What could possibly go wrong' statement_," Naruto said as he sprinted along the street in hopes of finding her.

**(With Akane)**

"Excuse me, sir, what is this?" Akane asked holding up a golden necklace with a glistening, blue sapphire in the middle.

"It's just some crappy…I mean it's a beautiful necklace dating back hundreds of years ago. It is said that this very necklace belonged to the Shodaime, the first Hokage of Konohagakure." The vendor said, obviously lying in order to make a profit off of the seemingly clueless Akane.

"Really!" She squealed in excitement. "How much does it cost?" She asked hoping for a reasonable price.

"Well normally it would be priceless, but for one such as yourself, I guess I could lower the price down to about one hundred thousand yen." He said grinning at how easy it was to persuade her into buying a fake necklace.

"That sounds reasonable, comparing the fact that it's such a valuable necklace. Hey Naru…to. Where did he go?" She asked looking around for him.

**(Somewhere in Konoha)**

Neji, Lee, and Tenten walked along one of the crowded streets, Lee babbling on about how he would do an insane amount of exercises which Tenten and Neji just tuned it out.

"Neji, how about we have a race," an energetic Lee yelled as he hopped around like a young schoolboy.

"No thanks, Lee," Neji said returning to his normally apathetic position.

"Why not, Neji? If you win, I will do five hundred laps around Konoha, and if I cannot do that, I will do one thousand…" Lee stopped with his banter when he set his eyes on the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, holding up a golden necklace with a sapphire jewel in the middle. She had long, crimson hair that went down to the bottom of her waist, and the most perfect blue eyes he had ever witnessed.

"_YOSH, GAI-SENSEI. I HAVE FINALLY FOUND THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS. WITH THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH BACKING ME UP, SHE WILL NO DOUBTEDLY FALL FOR MY YOUTHFULNESS_." Lee thought as 'flames' of youth burned around him. He ran up to her and took her hand in his, making her drop the necklace in the process.

"Hello, my name is Rock Lee. How would you like to be my girlfriend?" He asked striking his nice guy pose.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm kind of interested in someone else right now." She replied blushing as her thoughts wandered off to a certain blonde shinobi.

"_Gai-sensei, I have failed you_." Lee thought as he crouched down and hung his head low in a comical way. Neji and Tenten, having seen the whole thing, just sweatdropped.

"Hey Akane, there you are." Naruto said running up to her. He stopped and bent over slightly in an effort to catch his breath before standing straight once more. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Hello, Naruto-kun. I was wondering where you went off to." She said feigning innocence.

"Like hell, you're the one that ran off." He replied in an agitated tone. It was then that he noticed Lee hunched over.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked pointing to the spandex wearing shinobi.

"I have no idea." She answered. Instantly, Lee regained his cheerful personality and jumped up.

"MY NAME IS ROCK LEE, THE HANDSOME GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA."

"_Why does that name seem so familiar_?" Naruto thought putting his hand to his chin.

"And what would your name be?" Lee asked.

"Oh, my name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said snapping out of his thoughts performing his own nice-guy pose. It took a few seconds for it to click before Lee finally realized who it was.

"YOSH, I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EARS. NARUTO-KUN HAS FINALLY RETURNED!" Lee said as he grabbed onto Naruto and put him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Ahhh, Lee. Get off of me." Naruto yelled as he started to hear his rib cage snap.

"Sorry, Naruto. It has been so long since I have last seen your bright, youthful face. I am interested to see how much you have grown. How about we have a sparring match," He said taking a battle stance.

"Lee, are you crazy? We can't fight out in the middle of…" Naurto was cut off by Lee charging him at full speed, ready to deliver a punch to his jaw. Reacting quickly, Naruto dodged the punch at the last second by tilting his head to the left. He attempted to retaliate with a kick of his own, but Lee was able to dodge it by jumping over him and landing behind him.

"I see you have gotten better with your taijustu, Naruto. But you will not be able to block my next attack." Lee said. He then began charging at blinding speed until he was stopped by Tenten.

"CUT IT OUT, LEE!" Tenten said as she did a humorous dynamic entry by kicking him in the back and sending him flying through the air. She then turned to the mysterious stranger that Lee had attacked.

"Sorry about him. He gets a little excited sometimes and…" She stopped once she glimpsed his face. He had golden, blond hair and the most vivid, sapphire eyes. He also had six, little whisker marks on his cheeks that she thought were absolutely adorable. Not to mention that he was also in perfect shape, the way his muscles bulged out from under his t-shirt was enough for her to want to take him right then and there. In a weird sort of way, he sort of reminded her of someone she once knew, someone named Naruto, but she decided to shake that feeling off and focus on garnering this new guy's attention.

"Hi, what's your name? Are you new here?" She said using all of her willpower to not jump on top of him.

"TENTEN!" Lee yelled springing back into action.

"NOT NOW LEE!" She said doing her best to ignore him.

"But Tenten, that is no stranger. That is Naruto-kun." Lee said pointing at him. Tenten just stared dumbfounded at him before what Lee said finally clicked.

"WHAT!!! THAT'S NARUTO?" She yelled.

"Yep, it's me alright." Naruto said sarcastically.

"Hello, Naruto-sama." Neji said emotionlessly as he bowed.

"It seems you haven't changed, Neji," Naruto said humoring Neji by bowing.

"Naruto-kun, who are these people?" Akane asked.

"Oh, sorry. Akane, meet Tenten, Neji, and Lee. Formerly Genin squad nine. Tenten, Neji, Lee, meet Akane." He said introducing everybody.

"YOSH, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL NAME FOR A PRETTY, YOUTHFUL LADY AS YOURSELF." Lee yelled as he took her hand and started wildly swinging her around.

"LEE, STOP HARRASSING PEOPLE!" Tenten screamed as she started to chase Lee around while everyone just sweatdropped. Ignoring them like he always does, Neji then turned his attention to the scarlet haired beauty.

"So, where exactly are you from? I have never seen you around the village before." Neji asked.

"_Damn it, Obaa-chan forgot to give her a background_." "She's from the village hidden among the…foxes. It was attacked by some other villages and she was the sole survivor of the struggle." He said making up the whole story. Neji could tell that Naruto was lying but decided to ignore it. It was her business and who was he to judge. He was a little bit curious, so he decided to activate his Byakugan. What he saw was completely different then what he expected. Inside her chakra coils was an evil, crimson chakra laced with killer intent.

"_This chakra is the same chakra I saw when I faced Naruto in the Chuunin Exams. Just who is this girl_?" Neji thought as he stared at the chakra. The chakra began to take the form of a fox head and growled wildly. As soon as it did that, Neji's Byakugan suddenly ceased.

"_What happened? That thing just shut me out. She's definitely not normal. I'll have to keep an eye on her_." Neji thought taking his gaze off of her.

"So, are you two doing something important right now?" Neji asked putting off the many other questions he wanted to ask.

"Oh, we were just going to buy Akane-chan some new clothes." Naruto replied.

"So then are you on a date?" Neji asked, almost as if he was trying to mess with Naruto. Tenten's ears perked up when Neji said this and she stopped chasing Lee.

"_No, they can't be on a date. That would ruin my chances with Naruto-kun_." She cried in her mind.

"No," "Yes," Naruto and Akane said at the same time and in subsequent order.

"Wait, what did you say?" Naruto asked Akane.

"No," She said, changing her answer to the first question. Tenten felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"Hey Naruto-kun, do you think I could go with you." Tenten said instantly latching onto his arm.

"_Please say no, please say no, please say no_," Akane thought as she crossed her fingers.

"Sure, why not. The more the merrier." Naruto said giving her his infamous foxy grin that just made her heart melt.

"_Of all the times for you to be a nice guy, Naruto-kun, it just had to be now_." She thought feeling defeated at her hope of spending the day with just the two of them.

"Hey Neji, do you and Lee want to come along as well?" He asked them. Akane had never felt more disappointed. Her perfect day with Naruto was about to be ruined. It was just supposed to be the two of them. Neji, seeing her facial expression, picked up on this.

"We would love to go with you and indulge in the youthful activities of shopping and…" Lee stopped his ranting when Neji grabbed his shoulder. Neji then did a nodding gesture over toward Akane. After a few moments, Lee finally got what Neji was getting at.

"I…mean…Neji and I must not let our spirits of youth die down by shopping. We must keep training in order to improve ourselves." Lee said performing his ever-famous nice guy pose.

"Alright, if you say so," Naruto said shrugging his shoulders.

"You better get going if you want to beat the rush to the stores, Naruto-sama." Neji said walking up to him.

"He's right, we better go now. See ya, Neji, Lee." Naruto said.

"Bye Neji-kun. Bye Lee." Tenten said walking off after him. Once they were both out of sight, Neji walked past Akane.

"Go get'em, Akane-sama," Neji said walking past her with a clever smirk on his face. It was right then that she understood what he was doing when he stopped him and Lee from going with Naruto.

"Right, thank you, Neji-kun." She said smiling and giving a small bow before she ran off to catch up with Naruto and Tenten.

"That was really nice of you, Neji. But how did you know she liked Naruto?" Lee asked strolling over to him.

"These eyes can see more than just tenketsu,Lee." Neji said with a devious smirk.

"You know, Neji. Maybe you're not as cold and uncaring as people think you are." Lee said giving him a genuine smile.

"Why, Lee. That was a very unyouthful thing of you to say." Neji replied sarcastically while acting like he was offended.

"YOU'RE COMPLETELY RIGHT, NEJI. I MUST CLEANSE MYSELF OF THIS UNYOUTHFULNESS BY RUNNING FIVE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND KONOHA." Lee said as he took of at an unbelievable speed. Neji just stood there sighing at how embarrassing his teammate could be.

"I'm starting to think I should have taken you up on your offer, Naruto-sama." Neji said walking after Lee.

**(Konoha Shopping District)**

"So, Akane, where do you live," Tenten asked her.

"Oh, I live with Naruto-kun," Akane answered back playfully. To say this shocked Tenten was an understatement.

"_She lives with Naruto-kun? How can I compete with that_?" Tenten thought. At that moment, Akane saw a store that caught her eye.

"Naruto-kun lets go in that one. It has really pretty lights." She said pointing to it and walking in through the front door.

"I swear, sometimes she has the mind of a child." He said to no one in particular. "At least you're still sane, Tenten…" He stopped when he noticed that she was no longer by his side.

"It does have pretty lights." Tenten said captivated as she walked in after Akane. Naruto just sweatdropped and went in after the two of them.

"Hello, may I help you?" A female clerk asked as she walked up to Akane and Tenten.

"Well, all of my old clothes got…'misplaced' when I moved to Konoha, so I was wondering if there was anything that looks good on me that you might have." Akane asked.

"Oh, of course we do. Come on, I'll show you." She said dragging her and Tenten off to the back of the store. Naruto just decided to walk behind them as to not get in the way.

"So is he your boyfriend?" The clerk whispered into Akane's ear.

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend. Well, not yet anyway." She said while blushing softly and looking back it him. Naruto, not noticing the blush on her face, smiled back at her with his ever-famous, foxy grin, which made her blush even more.

"Oh, I see how it is. Well, I know plenty of things that will knock him out." She said grinning ear to ear. She had seen situations like this plenty of times before.

"Naruto-kun, we'll be back in a second. Just make yourself comfortable or something." Tenten said following after Akane.

"_Great, what am I supposed to do now_?" Naruto thought as he checked his surroundings, only to find nothing of interest.

"I guess I could go look around. I do need some new clothes anyway." He thought walking toward the men's section of the store. He began to look through some of the racks of clothes, when he realized one important factor. He was fashion-impaired. With that mindset, he began to look around for someone who knew what they were doing. After wandering throughout the section, he came across two more female employees that were conversing amongst themselves.

"Excuse me. I'm trying to find some new outfits to wear, but I have no idea where to start. So, I was wondering if one of you could help me." He asked giving a small smile and rubbing the back of his head in pure, anime fashion.

"Do you mind, we're on our bre…" She stopped as soon as she turned around to look at him. He had the most beautiful, blue eyes and perfectly tanned skin with matching, well toned muscles to match. In other words, he was drop dead gorgeous. Her and her co-workers mouth suddenly hit the floor and they instantly froze up.

"Ummm, hello." Naruto said waving his hand in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm more alright than I've ever been," She said absentmindedly as she stared into his eyes.

"What?" Naruto asked failing to hear her properly.

"Oh, nothing. Now, what was it that you wanted?" The second girl said trying to knock the other girl out of her daze.

"I was wondering if you could help me out." He replied.

"Sure, we'd be glad to." The first girl said rushing into the middle to find him something. She found a few pairs of clothes and ran back to him.

"Here, try these on," She said tossing him a huge pile of clothes. He barely managed to catch them and stumbled back a bit. He then walked toward the dressing room. After a minute or two, he came back out.

"Alright, how does it look?" He asked pulling back the curtain and stepping forward. He was wearing a pitch black, short sleeve shirt with the leaf symbol and Konoha written in red. A long sleeve, dark green jacket was over the black shirt with dark green pants to match the jacket. Both girls stood there with their mouths agape.

"That looks so hot. Alright try this one on." She said walking up closer to him and handing him another pair of clothes. "_That looks good, but I bet you'd look even better with them off_." She thought as she stood back in order for him to go. He went back into the changing room and donned another pair of clothes.

"Okay, what about this one?" He said walking out in another outfit. It was a pure white short-sleeve shirt with a solid red and blue line running parallel horizontally across the upper part of the shirt. There was another white shirt with long sleeves under the first one and white cargo pants to match the shirts (A/N: Trying my best to describe the outfit Ichigo wore in the first opening of bleach during the guitar part). Once again, both girls felt like jumping on top of him and making out with him but barely restrained themselves. A few surrounding people, and by people I mean women, started to gather around Naruto's dressing room. It seemed as if with each outfit he tried on more and more women would gather around and each time he came out they would start howling and whistling or yell something about 'having his baby'. It was beginning to become like some sort of fashion show, only there were male models and Naruto was the only one. After about twelve or thirteen more outfits, Naruto decided to call it quits.

"Alright, I think that's all." Naruto said pulling back the curtain and walking towards the two employees.

"Isn't there just one more you'd like to try on?" One of them said hopefully.

"Not really. I'm pretty sure I just bought enough clothes to last me the rest of my life," Naruto responded sarcastically. "But thanks for everything. You guys are the best." He said smiling at them while walking away to go find Tenten and Akane.

"Bye," They both said dreamily while waving back at him. Naruto walked around the store looking for his two fellow shinobi before finally giving up and sitting down on a bench. As if on cue, a certain red haired female walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder lightly in order to get his attention. He slowly turned around, expecting to see Akane, but he got a little bit more than he bargained for. Akane stood there in a short-sleeve, light blue shirt that accentuated every curve of her body. It had the words 'Wave Body' printed on the front. All of that coupled with a short, jean mini-skirt put it all together. Tenten was wearing a blue kimono with a white dragon imprint slinging across the top and small, white lotus flowers adorning the various spots on the outfit, complete with a matching fan.

"What do you think, Naruto-kun?" Both Tenten and Akane asked as they spoke as seductively as possible while Tenten partially masked her face behind her fan. Naruto did what any self-respecting male would do, he turned beet red and passed out.

"I told you he would pass out." They employee that had helped them previously said as she strolled up to them. "So will you be paying in cash or check?"

"Oh, don't ask us. He's the one you should ask. Go wake him up, Akane." Tenten said pointing at the unconscious blonde. After several minutes of trying, she was finally able to awaken him.

"Good, you're awake. Now, how will you be paying for all of this?" She asked.

"I guess in cash. How much stuff did you two buy anyway?" Naruto asked turning to Tenten and Akane.

"Oh, not a lot, just a few…essentials," Akane said trailing off with a slight hint of innocence in her voice.

"This is going to cost me a lot, isn't it?" Naruto said in a melancholic tone.

"Oh, you bet it is." Tenten replied ruffling his hair a little bit. It was then that Akane noticed the bag in Naruto's hand.

"What's that in your hand, Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"Oh this, just some stuff I bought." He responded while shrugging his shoulders.

"You actually bought clothes?" Tenten said wide eyed at him to which he responded with a nod.

"Well I can't wait to see you in them." Akane said with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Akane-chan," Naruto said smiling back at her.

"Sorry to break up your love fest, but we still have places to go." Tenten said impatiently.

"Alright, alright. So how much is this going to cost me?" Naruto asked the employee.

**(Outside the Store)**

"I can't believe it cost that much," Naruto said staring at the receipt as the trio walked out of the store, with five or six Naruto clones walking behind them, all carrying bags full of clothes.

"Awww, don't be mad, Naruto-kun. We'll make it up to you somehow," Tenten said patting him on the back.

"And just how do you plan to do that?" He asked sarcastically.

"Well, um…" Tenten stuttered as she looked around.

"Actually, I have an idea." Akane said. She then turned to Tenten and began whispering in her ear. As soon as she was finished, they both turned to Naruto and stared at him with a devilish smirk on their faces.

"_Well this can't be good_." Naruto thought as he shuddered at the thought of what they might possibly be planning.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, before we go, do you mind if we go to just one more store?" Akane asked putting on the most innocent voice she could muster while still having a sinister smile plastered across her face.

"I really don't have a choice now do I?" Naruto replied.

"No, not really," Akane said as she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him while Tenten covered his eyes with her palms.

"Where exactly are we going anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, you'll see." The crimson haired beauty replied.

**(Another Part of Konoha Shopping District)**

"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto said gaping at the sight in front of him. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he had imagined a situation like this happening when Akane mentioned 'one last store' but never actually expected it to happen.

"What's your problem?" Tenten asked him, putting a hand on her hip.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT'S MY PROBLEM'? THAT'S A DAMN LINGERIE STORE. I CAN'T GO IN THERE. PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M A PERVERT!" Naruto yelled at her indifferent attitude. Somewhere else in Konoha, a certain white-haired sannin sneezed many times.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, don't worry about it. As long as you're with me and Tenten, everything will be fine." Akane said giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Okay, fine. Let's just get in and get out, alright." Naruto said taking a deep breath in order to calm down. Then just as soon walked in and Tenten motioned for Naruto to take a seat on a nearby bench, to which he obliged.

"We'll be out in a second, Naruto-kun. Just be a good boy and we will be out in no time." Akane said while patting him on the head like a dog. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hand behind his head.

"Somehow I just know this is going to end with me on the floor in a pool of blood." He said in an agitated tone. Naruto looked around the room, carefully making sure not to stare at any of the 'outfits' that so brazenly adorned the racks of clothes. There were a few women in the store, mostly in their twenties and thirties. What surprised him the most was that they hadn't given him a second glance when he was dragged through the door. They actually giggled when they saw how he was doing his best not to seem like a pervert by closing his eyes and looking straight up. There are only two reasons why a man would be in a lingerie shop, anyway. One was that he was forced in by his girlfriend, wife, and so on to give their opinion on certain outfits, or two, they were a pervert that just so happened to sneak in. Obviously he was the first one. He shifted his gaze to another person in the store who happened to be male. The man was obviously trying to hide something or from it, because he was doing his best to cover his face with his hoodie. Naruto wasn't getting a good vibe from the guy, so he decided to just keep an eye on him for now. Naruto was jostled out of his thoughts by the voice of a certain bun-wearing kunoichi.

"So, Naruto-kun, do you like what you see?" Tenten asked in the most seductive way possible as she winked at him. Naruto slowly turned his head only to find her leaning up against a wall in a baby blue bra with matching panties. Of course, to make it even worse Akane was basically doing the exact same thing on the other side of the wall, wearing an outfit that matched Tenten's. The blood that came out of Naruto's nose was almost equivalent to the water in the lake at the Valley of the End.

"Yep, I'd say this is definitely a keeper." Tenten said as Akane nodded.

"_It is a keeper. But I'll be possibly using it more on Naruto-kun in the future than you will, Tenten_." Akane thought while still having an innocent smile on her face.

On the other side of the store, a certain man wearing a hoodie was watching through binoculars.

"_How the heck did that guy get two hotties like them? Especially the redhead, she's on fire_." He thought shifting his gaze over to Akane. His eyes were about to pop out of his head at the sight of the crimson-haired mistress. He decided to get a 'closer' look and walked inconspicuously to a position as close as possible. As soon as he was situated, the girls then went back in to the dressing room to change into yet another life-threatening outfit, for Naruto that is.

"I've got to learn how to stop that from happening." Naruto said clutching his head and slowly picking himself up off of the ground. He situated himself back onto the bench and slowly closed his eyes, his head still hurting from all of the blood. The man with the hood thought he was going to sleep and took the initiative to take a peek into Tenten and Akane's dressing room. As he was about to succeed in his mission, Naruto then appeared out of nowhere and held a kunai up to his throat.

"There are many ways for a shinobi to kill someone. Thousands, maybe millions, of ways. There just happens to be about one-hundred and forty seven ways I could kill you right now, or cut off a certain 'friend' of yours. Care to try one?" Naruto said in a very bored tone, but radiating killer intent by the gallons. The guy almost wet his pants right there.

"If you want to live, I suggest you run right now and never let me see you again. Cause if you don't, I'll kill you. Plus, the Hokage isn't a fan of perverts, so she would probably encourage me killing you." Naruto added. Taking the hint, the guy then ran out of the store at full speed. Feeling proud of himself, Naruto then returned to his seat on the bench. Several more outfits and nosebleeds later, Akane, Tenten, and Naruto exited the store.

"Wow, that place is great. I can't think of anything lower than those prices." Tenten said staring at the receipt.

"Well there is my red blood cell count." Naruto said sarcastically trying to get the both of them to feel guilty.

"Anyway, it was really fun shopping with you two. We should do it again sometime." Tenten said walking up to Akane and giving her a friendly hug. She then walked over to Naruto, who held out his hand expecting to receive a handshake or something of that nature. Instead of that, Tenten quickly leaned forward, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Bye Akane, bye Naruto-kun." She said as she sprinted toward the direction of her house, her bags of clothes in tow.

"_HEY, I WAS GOING TO KISS NARUTO-KUN ON THE CHEEK_!" Akane yelled angrily in her mind as she stood there with comical fumes coming from her ears. Naruto noticed this and decided to see if anything was wrong.

"Ummm…Akane-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked slightly fearful for his life.

"OF COURSE I'M ALRIGHT. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRONG?" She yelled in a very agitated tone.

"Maybe…we should just go home." Naruto said while sweatdropping.

**(Naruto's Apartment)**

"I hope that Kyu didn't do anything bad, while we were gone," Naruto said fishing around in his pockets for his keys.

"He's a nine inch tall fox, what could he have possibly done?" Akane asked in a tranquil tone, having calmed down from her anger on the way back. Naruto then slipped the newly found key into the lock and turned it to open the door.

"HEY, BAKA-NEKO, WE'RE HOME." Naruto yelled as he, Akane, and about twelve kage buushins all walked into the small apartment. Once they were all inside, the buushins put their bags onto the ground and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As soon as the buushins vanished, two little fox ears perked up from behind the couch, and a small fox ran up to Naruto's feet.

"Tell me you brought ramen with you or I'll slaughter you." Kyu said impatiently.

"Why would I bring you ramen?" Naruto said strolling over to one of his cabinets and opening it up. "There's plenty in…" Naruto was horrified at the sight in front of him. Every last cup of ramen he had was gone. He swiftly walked to another cabinet and opened it up, only to find nothing in that one either. Every cabinet he had was completely empty.

"YOU ASSHOLE, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH MY RAMEN?" Naruto yelled at the little fox, veins emerging from his forehead. It was then that he noticed all of the disposed ramen cups in his trash can, plus the fact that Kyu burped as soon as he finished the previous question.

"YOU…ATE…ALL…MY…RAMEN!" Naruto screamed ready to strangle the life out of him.

"Don't get your kunai in a bunch. We'll just by some more tomorrow." Kyu said indifferently.

"But what are we going to eat tonight?" Akane asked as her stomach growled.

"Good thing I keep an emergency supply of ramen just for such an occasion." Naruto said stepping on a floorboard and propping it up to reveal extra cups of instant ramen.

"Why do you keep food hidden under the floor?" Kyu asked.

"Well you never know when you could get robbed." Naruto replied. They all sat down and ate dinner, Kyu eating the most thanks to his addiction of ramen. Once they had eaten their fill, Kyu went to his usual place on the couch and drifted off while Naruto and Akane went into their room.

"So what all did you buy at the first store that we went to, Akane-chan." Naruto said getting ready for bed by taking off his shirt.

"Oh, you know. Just random stuff. But I bought the cutest little ninja outfit." She said walking into the bathroom and changing into a nightgown that she bought at the lingerie shop.

"Really? Can I see it?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Nope, you'll have to wait." She said walking back into the room and pulling back the covers.

"Fine, if you say so." He replied. "But I'll bet you look cool in it." He added to which she blushed in response.

"Goodnight, Akane-chan." He said closing his eyes and going to sleep. She stared at his slumbering form for a few moments, thinking if she should go through with what she had in mind. She curled up to him, putting her leg between the both of his and wrapping her arms around his torso, and gave him a slight peck on the cheek before resting her head on his chest.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto-kun." She said closing her bright, blue eyes and dozing off.

**(End Chapter Four)**

Wow, that took me forever. Once again, sorry about the slow update. My school play was in the final stages and we had to spend late nights rehearsing for it. But I tried to make up for it by making this chapter extremely longer than my other ones. I hadn't really planned for it to be this long, but I just couldn't stop writing and stuff. Anyway, working on chapter five so I hope that's out sooner.


	5. The Ramen Mistress and the Desert Flower

Alright, here's chapter five. This is more of a filler chapter and stuff and it's longer than any other chapter. So, yeah, here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter five: The Ramen Mistress and the Desert Flower**

The light of morning crept slowly through the small window in Naruto's bedroom and shone in the face of the slumbering blonde. His vivacious, blue eyes were exposed to the radiant stream and he slowly opened them. The moment he did, he instantly shut them. A bright light shining in your eyes isn't exactly the most pleasant thing in the morning and Naruto Uzumaki isn't exactly a morning person. He then turned his head to the gorgeous beauty with long locks of scarlet next to him. The way the glow of the light reflected off of her perfect skin made her seem so innocent and angelic. Naruto brushed a stray strand of hair from in front of her face and pushed it to the side with his index finger, which caused her to smile in her sleep.

"Beautiful," Was the only thing he could say as she stared at the sleeping form beside him. But apparently he said it a little too loud, for Akane awoke at the sound of his voice.

She gradually opened her eyes to see the blonde she had been kissed the night before.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Akane said stifling out a yawn and sitting upright. "Did you say something?"

"Oh…no, I didn't say anything," He said hoping that she didn't hear him. She sat up and crawled out of bed to sit beside him.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" She asked. As if on cue a messenger bird flew toward the window and hovered in the air, waiting for entrance.

"That's strange. What's a messenger bird doing here?" Naruto questioned striding towards the window and slowly opening it. The bird quickly flew in and landed on a nearby lamp stand. Naruto reached for its leg and untied the message. The bird, fulfilling its purpose, then flew back outside and off to the Hokage tower. Naruto unrolled the scroll and noticed a summoning seal on it. He activated it, making a cloud of smoke appear in the room. Both he and Akane covered their eyes. The smoke cleared, revealing a certain silver-haired jounin standing where the scroll once was.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Naruto yelled, surprised at seeing his teacher standing in the middle of his bedroom.

"It's nice to see you to, Naruto." Kakashi replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Couldn't you have come through the front door like normal people?" Naruto asked irritated.

"Yeah, I could have. But you know how I love to make a flashy entrance.' He said cheekily. He then looked around the room, noticing the scarlet-haired female on his bed in very revealing clothing and Naruto in nothing but his boxers.

"Well, Naruto. It looks like we've been engaging in some 'late night activities'. But aren't you a little too young for that?" Kakashi said smiling under his ever-present mask.

"ARE YOU FREAKIN' INSANE? I'M ONLY FIFTEEN. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF YOU WOULD'VE STOPPED READING THAT PERVERTED CRAP THAT ERO-SENNIN WRITES." Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs while Akane hid her face and blushed redder than a tomato.

"Calm down, Naruto. I was only kidding." Kakashi said while Naruto just mumbled things about perverted teachers and kicking his elder sensei's ass the next time he saw him.

"I actually came here for a more productive reason." Kakashi said turning serious.

"And that would be?" Naruto questioned crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.

"Well, I'm here to test Akane's skills as a certified kunoichi of Konoha." He said holding up a document with Tsunade's signature on it.

"REALLY!!! FINALLY, I'M GOING TO BE A KUNOICHI! WAIT, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE A NINJA. AH, THIS IS HORRIBLE," She said becoming depressed in a comedic fashion.

"Does she always do this?" Kakashi whispered to Naruto while both of them sweatdropped.

"Only once a day." The blonde shinobi replied. He then walked up to her and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry, Akane-chan. I'm sure you'll do fine. I mean, you're basically the freakin' Kyuubi. You could probably kick anyone's ass." He said giving her a small smile.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I needed that. Do you want to come and watch me?" She asked hopefully.

"Sorry, I can't. I've got to go to the grocery store thanks to a certain greedy fox kit. How about you just tell me everything when you get home, okay." He replied trying not to hurt her feelings.

"Okay, Naruto-kun." She said beaming at him.

"Alright, meet me at the training fields eight o' clock, sharp. Anyway, see ya." Kakashi said as he poofed away.

"But that's only twenty minutes away. I can't reach it that fast." Akane said.

"Oh don't worry about being on time. You don't have to get there until at least ten." Naruto said sarcastically as he recalled scenes of his teacher's chronic tardiness in his mind.

"Oh, I see. It's like a test. Shinobi must not trust everything they hear. If I come at eight, he might spring a trap on me. Very clever, Kakashi-sensei." Akane said, feeling proud of herself at seeing through his deception. She rushed into the bathroom to go freshen up.

"Actually..." Naruto began to go on, but just decided to let it go. "_Kakashi-sensei isn't dedicated to teaching enough to actually think of something like that_." He thought while smirking inwardly.

"Hey, gaki, I'm hungry so go cook me some breakfast." Kyu said waking up from his sleep and walking into the room.

"I can't Baka-neko; you ate all of the ramen, remember." Naruto responded angrily.

"Well then, take me out to eat. I don't care, I just want some food." Kyu said as his stomach growled.

"Okay, I'm off. See ya, guys." Akane said as she rushed out of the door. She was wearing a purple kimono top that came down to two inches above her knees. There was also a long crimson sash tied around her waist with the ends hanging down to just below the back of her knees. In essence it was pretty much the exact same outfit that Temari wore when she saved Shikamaru from Tayuya, minus the fan that is. She swiftly leapt out of the doorway and closed the door with a soft click.

"Now, go get me some food." Kyu demanded with a harsh tone.

"Fine, whatever. I'll just bring you back something." Naruto said going into his room, changing into a black shirt with dark-green cargo pants and a dark-green jacket that was by no means loose fitting, and grabbing his frog wallet, which he so aptly named 'Gama-chan'. He began to tread out of the door, when Kyu suddenly jumped up on his shoulder.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Naruto asked the miniature fox quizzically.

"I'm going with you. While I may not like it, I do grow weary of this apartment. What's so wrong about that?" Kyu replied emotionlessly.

"Well, let's see. You're a fox, with nine tails no less. If people see you out in public with the 'demon child', who knows what would happen." Naruto responded, fearing what the villagers might do at seeing a mini Kyuubi.

"Don't worry about it, I have it covered." Kyu said as he jumped off of Naruto's shoulder.

"What the hell is that supposed…?" Naruto trailed off as he witnessed the sight before him. Kyu was bathed in an eerie, crimson glow that surrounded his small frame on all sides. His nine tails then shot up straight into the air and eight of them then slowly retracted into his body, leaving one tail behind.

"See, no problem. Now, let's go." Kyu said quickly as he once again hopped up onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Well, I guess that could work. But you can't speak human language. Normal foxes don't do that." Naruto said approving and with a soft click of the door, they were both out of there.

**(Training Fields/10:00a.m.)**

Akane walked slowly into the training grounds, looking every direction for a possible trap that might spring. She suddenly let her guard down when she noticed Kakashi sitting on a rock near a tree, reading in a strange orange book. She strolled slowly over to him, keeping an eye on him for any tricks he might pull.

"Oh, Akane-chan. I was wondering when you would show up. I had a trap set up for you and everything at eight, but you took a page from my book and decided to be late." Kakashi said closing his book and standing up slowly.

"Good thing I saw through your plan, Kakashi-sensei. A kunoichi must not always believe what she hears after all…" She trailed off her last words as two kunai came whizzing out from a neighboring tree intent on piercing her flesh. She instantly spun around, caught both of the razor-sharp knives in her hand, and then threw them at the copy ninja on the rock. Once they impacted him, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real Kakashi then walked out from behind a different tree.

"And here you thought you weren't ready for this." Kakashi said sarcastically as he gently clapped his hands for her and did his ever-famous eye-smile.

"I only said that to get you to let your guard down, Kakashi-sensei. After all, a shinobi must not always believe what they hear." She said coolly as she began to take a fighting stance.

"Oh really, then let's just see what you can do. If you can last just fifteen minutes against me, then I'll officially take you on as a student of mine and make you an official member of team 7. So, are you up for it?" Kakashi said slowly drawing a few kunai from his holster.

"Screw that, I'll last for thirty minutes. Believe it!" She yelled in response.

"_Hmmm, now where have I heard that before_?" Kakashi thought smirking, a certain hyperactive, knucklehead ninja coming to mind.

"_Alright, time to make Naruto-kun proud_." Akane thought as she put her hands together and began to gather chakra. Both she and Kakashi stared at the other for what seemed like forever. The gentle wind picking up a few stray leaves in its path as the trees swayed softly. It was so quiet; one could hear a pin drop.

"Ready," Akane said as a red aura began to surround her body.

"Set," Kakashi said as he pulled his sleeve up, set his watch for thirty minutes (A/N: Just pretend he has a watch), and slowly pulled it back down again.

"GO!"

**(With Naruto and Kyu)**

Naruto and Kyu walked along the road, Naruto with his hands in his pockets and Kyu resting on his shoulder with his tail around the blonde neck. Kyu noticed that his 'transportation' was attracting a lot of attention from the surrounding people. And not the hateful glares that he usually got before he returned to the village. Mind you there were still some who looked on at him in disgust, but a good majority of them where something he couldn't quite put a finger, or in his case claw, on. Using his extra keen sense of smell, he began sniffing out the different emotions of people. Some where the usual hate filled smells, one or two were scents of happiness, and most of them where of…

"_WHAT THE HELL. IS THAT LUST_?" Kyu shouted astonished in his mind. He then took another whiff only to realize that they were indeed scents of lust and they all seemed to be radiating to…

"_WTF, THE DOBE_?" He stole a quick glance at the blonde. Naruto still had his usual, oblivious to everything around him face on. Kyu then turned back to the people. But most of the scents seemed to be radiating solely off of the females in the area. He looked to the north to see a group of three girls conversing amongst themselves. The girls then looked at the blonde shinobi as he passed them. One of them blushed, another one stared blankly at him, and the last one gave him a seductive wink. Kyu just couldn't believe what he was experiencing. That idiot was attracting members of the opposite gender, and some of the same gender as proven by a few males that passed him as he walked down the crowded, dusty road. Kyu was jostled out of his thoughts as Naruto's voice caught his attention.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Naruto asked the crimson fox on his shoulder.

"Um...How about something with ramen." Kyu said.

"Fine, I know the greatest place in the world to go for ramen." Naruto said walking over to his favorite eating establishment. He sat down on one of the stool and twirled around in order to face the counter.

"HEY, OLD MAN. ARE YOU BACK THERE?" Naruto asked yelling into the back of the stand while Kyu jumped off of his shoulder and onto the stool beside him. The tiny fox kit was still not able to see over the table stand, however. Someone, hearing his call, then approached from the back and walked up to him.

"Naruto-kun, is that you?" The person said hopefully, wiping off a ramen bowl with a damp washcloth.

"Hey Ayame-chan. How's it going?" He said giving her a small wave accompanied with a sly grin.

"Oh, everything's fine. My dad is just off delivering some ramen to a customer on the other side of town right now so he won't be back for a while." She replied gently setting the now shimmering ramen bowl in the sink with the others. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood so I decided to check up on my favorite ramen girl." He said grinning mischievously which earned a blush from her.

"Wait, did you hear that?" She asked, taking notice of a sort of purring sound coming from Naruto's side of the counter. Naruto then stole a glance at the fox kit beside him, who was pawing at his leg and purring, seemingly wanting something.

"Oh, that's just him." Naruto responded, motioning with his head to the fox next to him. Ayame looked over the counter to see a fox kit with bright red fur and one, bushy tail flowing in the wind staring at her with bright yellow eyes. She stared at him for about five seconds until he let out a small 'meow'.

"SO KAWAII!!!" She screamed as she pulled Kyu into her arms, tightly squeezed him against her chest, and nuzzled his face with her cheek in pure anime fashion. After what seemed like forever, she finally put him down.

"So is he yours?" She asked while scratching his belly, to which he happily purred once more.

"Yeah, he's mine. I found him just a couple of days ago out in the woods. After searching for hours for his family, I came across a fox den that was completely empty. I couldn't just leave the little one there so I took him home with me." Naruto explained.

"That's really sweet, Naruto-kun. What's his name?" She asked, switching from his belly to scratching him on the ears.

"Well, I named his Kyu." He replied rubbing the back of his head and giving his usual sheepish grin.

"That's an unusual name. But it does kind of suit him, don't you think." She said substituting scratching his ears with petting his back gently, which caused him to purr peacefully. "Say does he like ramen?"

"Are you kidding me? He can't get enough of the stuff." Naruto said chuckling slightly.

"Well then, how about one bowl for him and you, on the house of course." She said.

"That would be great Akane-chan," He answered back cheekily. She walked into the back of the stand and began to prepare the ramen for the both of them. Five minutes later, she came out with two steaming bowls full of ramen.

"Here you go," She said setting the bowls down and using her hand to wipe the sweat off of her brow.

"Thanks, Akane-chan. You're the best. Itadakimasu," Naruto said as he began to dig in. Kyu immediately stuck his head in the bowl and began slurping the noodles as if it were the last bowl on earth. Akane began giggling as she watched the both of them eat.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked taking in another mouthful of noodles.

"The two of you just look so funny right now." She said pointing to Kyu. Naruto slowly turned to face him as the fox did the same to the blonde ninja. Both of them had strands of noodles hanging down from their mouths. They both quickly slurped them up and turned away from each other embarrassedly, which caused Ayame to giggle even more. They both wolfed down about seven more bowls.

"Well, I think that's about enough. But I have to say, that was some of the best ramen I've had in about three years." Naruto said leaning back and patting his stomach gently. Kyu just let out a small belch before rolling over on his back.

"Well I'm glad you liked it." Ayame said picking up their bowls and heading back into the kitchen. As she was walking back, she stepped and slipped on a rag, about to tumble over. She closed her eyes and expected to hit the ground and hear the sound of broken bowls when she was suddenly grabbed by strong, muscular arms. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was in Naruto's arms. She could feel the warmth radiating off of his body and it made her blush furiously.

"You okay…Ayame-chan," He asked slowly and in a deep voice that had a hint of concern in it. The way her name rolled off of the tip of his tongue just made her heart melt as she stared into his bright sapphire orbs. Just as she wished that it would last forever, it ended with him helping her stand upright.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," She said, a warm smile plastered across her face.

"Anytime, Ayame-chan. Well, we best be off. Come on, Kyu." Naruto said as Kyu jumped up to his shoulder and draped his tail around Naruto's neck.

"Bye, Ayame-chan," He yelled as he began to walk off.

"Bye, Naruto-kun," She yelled back at him. After he was out of sight, she turned around and noticed a white envelope on the counter. She picked it up and opened it to reveal more than enough money to cover the ramen they both ate. She also came across a letter inside of the envelope.

"_Dear Ayame-chan. I couldn't just eat all of that ramen and not pay for it, so I left you this. Hope it's enough. P.S. I left a little extra. You know… to get you something nice_."

The letter read. Naruto also completed the letter with a chibi picture of him and Kyu at the bottom. She couldn't help but smile at that. As soon as she finished reading, her father walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, Ayame. The customer forgot where he left his money." Teuchi said as he set some of the dishes he was carrying in the back.

"Say father, you wouldn't happen to know how old Naruto is, would you." She asked silently but loud enough to hear as she stared off in the direction that Naruto left.

"Well, you're sixteen, so he should be about fifteen. Why do you ask?" He asked confused.

"Oh, just…wondering," She said, hinting at something else. "_Wondering if I should date younger, that is."_ Her last thoughts were as she stared at the back of his retreating form.

**(Training Fields)**

A weary, red-haired kunoichi lay sprawled out across the ground, covered in scratches and bruises of all sorts. She tried with all her might to stand up again, managing to lift her head up a small bit, but failed as it plopped back down onto the ground with a thud. This was probably the worst situation she could have possibly been in. She was unable to move her legs at the moment, Kakashi could be anywhere, and she was almost out of chakra. Truly a screwed up situation and truly a pissed off girl. She began to hear whispers from inside her mind.

"_Use the demon chakra, Akane-chan. After all, it is ours_,"

"_Use the demon chakra_,"

"_Use it_!"

In the distance she could hear a faint noise, probably of someone walking. She lifted up her head as the sound go louder with each passing second. Her eyes rested on the figure of the cycloptic jounin, little orange book in hand, bending down in a squatting position in front of her.

"Hey, how are you doing, Akane-chan," Kakashi said nonchalantly, not even making eye contact, choosing rather to stare at his book.

"_You can't defeat him without it, Akane-chan. Use the demon chakra. Use it! Use it! USE IT NOW_!"

All of a sudden, a bright, red glow began to swarm around her. Her canines grew slightly larger and her eyes turned a crimson red, much the same as her hair. In a blind fury she jolted up and attempted to slash him with two razor sharp kunai, one in each hand. She came at him hacking, left then right, in horizontal and diagonal slashes. He dodged each and every one of them with amazing grace and skill, before jumping back a great amount, putting a large gap between the two of them. She hurled both at him in a furious rage, screaming and with full intent to massacre him. The kunai connected, piercing the areas where his right kidney and aorta reside. Just when she thought she had finally gotten him, he turned into the infamous log and vanished from her sight. Before she could react, he then bolted up from the ground beneath her, rising fully from the earth and grabbing her head with his right hand. He then pushed down, slamming the back of her head into dirt. She shrieked as she rolled over and grabbed the back of her head in sheer pain. He grabbed her and held her down, hoping to restrain her as she thrashed about.

"Akane, calm down! Don't make me have to hurt you." He said in a firm, serious tone. After a few seconds she finally started to show signs of control over herself as her eyes turned back into their normal, vibrant blue and her teeth slowly changed back into their regular state. When he felt like she had calmed down, he released his grip and squatted down in front of her.They sat like that in silence for what seemed minutes, before Akane began to break out in tears.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I don't know what came over me." She said in-between sobs as Kakashi just stared at the ground gloomily.

"It's…alright, Akane." Kakashi replied, trying to calm her down. She ceased crying after a minute or two and both of them sat like that in silence for a couple more minutes.

"Can you just answer me one question, Kakashi-sensei." Akane said in an almost monotone voice with a hint of gloom in it.

"Go ahead." He replied.

"What is it that makes you so strong?" Akane said, her face still facing the ground and breathing heavily. "_When I first met him, he was so carefree and nonchalant that I didn't think he was a jounin. But now that I've fought him, he could even be sannin level. Every movement he makes, every single step, is preplanned and not an ounce of it is wasted. No matter what I do, he's three steps ahead of me, every time. I don't know if I can beat him anymore_. _It just seems so hopeless._"

Kakashi stowed his book away in his pocket and looked regretfully at the ground beneath him. He then slowly turned to the KIA rock on his left and back to the girl in front of him.

"It's not what, it's who." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "He taught me what it really means to be a ninja. That day, when he died, I learned that there is more to being a ninja then just mindlessly slaughtering your enemies with powerful and destructive techniques. It's protecting those you care for, and laying your life on the line for them. Because he who doesn't follow orders is trash, but he who abandons his comrades for the sake of the mission, is worse than trash. The desire to lay your life down for others and put them before yourself; that sole truth, Akane, is what truly makes people strong." He said, rising to his feet once more.

Akane took everything in that Kakashi had said. "_I think I understand what he is saying now. All this time, I only wanted to be a ninja in order to get closer to Naruto-kun. I was only thinking about myself and nobody else. He is strong because he protects the people he cares for. Fine, then I'm going to become a ninja so I can protect Naruto-kun from all who want to hurt him. I'm going to get stronger for him. That is now my ninja way and I'm never going to go back on it._"

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei, for making me realize that. You should gain power to not cause ruin and chaos, but to defend the ones you care for." She said with a genuine smile on her face while a tear of joy dropped from her eye and onto the ground.

"You're welcome, Akane-chan." Kakashi replied back. "_Perhaps there's hope for her yet_." Kakashi thought as a small smirk graced his face.

"Now…allow me show that I mean what I say." Her last words were as she turned into a log, covered in explosive tags and exploded only moments later. Kakashi sprung back at blinding speed, avoiding the blast with ease.

"_Wasn't exactly expecting that_." Kakashi thought sarcastically as he skidded to a halt. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a random assortment of kunai and shuriken, came hurtling out of the woods, all aimed at the copy ninja. He stylishly dodged them all by weaving in and out of them and returning some of his own at the source of them, which none of them hit. All fell silent after Kakashi had thrown his weapons. Out of nowhere, fifteen Akane clones fell from the sky and landed all around Kakashi, encircling and trapping him on all sides.

"We've got you now, Kakashi-sensei." One of the Akane clones said smugly as they all held a kunai knife in their hand, gripping it tightly. Kakashi looked around at his surroundings before smirking slightly under his mask.

"Tsch…Genin," He said before rushing one of the clones. He pierced one of them in the stomach with a kunai hidden in his sleeve. Another charged at him while he assaulted the first. Quickly turning around, he stabbed that one in the throat with the kunai and removed it, causing the clone to poof out of existence. Three other clones then began to charge him. Instead of fighting them, he made a break for it and dashed toward the west.

"Quick, after him." One of them said as the others obeyed and where attempting to gain on him. Kakashi sprinted as fast as he could until he reached a medium sized pond. He subconsciously applied chakra to the bottom of his feet and ran across the water until he reached the middle of the pond. All around the perimeter of the pond the remaining Akane clones encircled Kakashi.

"You can't escape this time." One of them said. All of the clones then launched their kunai and shuriken at him simultaneously. Kakashi stood there motionlessly until the last second when he began to perform a series of handseals at an extremely fast rate.

"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)," Kakashi yelled as a barrier made of water surrounded him, protecting him from the oncoming kunai and shuriken. All the weapons thrown bounced off of the wall and sunk into the lake, being too heavy to float. As the wall began to subside, Kakashi began to start performing a long set of handseals. All the Akane clones looked on in awe at the speed of which he performed him. His hands moved so fast, you couldn't even tell which seal he had made. After fifty four seals, he finally stopped on the last one and yelled out.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Blast)," Suddenly a huge current of water in the form of a dragon came rushing out of the pond, intent on decimating the clones. It swirled in the air for a few moments, as if dancing, before finally crashing down on top of the doppelgangers. All of the clones in the present area were wiped out at once, flooding the remaining area with for hundreds of feet. Minutes later, the water began to subside and Kakashi slowly strolled over to an unconscious Akane that was left behind.

"Well, well; what do we have here?" Kakashi asked as knelt over to get a closer look at her. It seemed as though she was shivering, her whole body was quaking and her eyes were shut tightly.

"Do you want to surrender, or will I have to take you down again?" Kakashi asked cheekily whilst smiling underneath his mask. That apparently got a response from the crimson haired girl.

"As if I would surrender to you, Kakashi-sensei. I'm not doing this anymore for myself. I'm fighting so that I can be there to protect Naruto-kun when he needs me and for that I'm not giving up, EVER! You got that?" She retorted, while smirking.

"_Even_ _if she does fail, I still might pass her. I can tell she means what she says_." Kakashi thought as he stared at her with small bit of admiration.

"Well then, just how do you plan to…?" Kakashi trailed off when he noticed the girl he was talking to almost moments ago had now disappeared into thin air.

"_What the_…" He turned around quickly, only to notice four more Akane clones charging at him, all wielding kunai, in a straight horizontal line.

"_I swear, she fights exactly like Naruto. But_…" Kakashi took notice of the kunai in each of the clone's hands. "_She's_ _not afraid to come at me with the intent to kill_." Kakashi gathered four shuriken in his hands and launched them all at the attacking duplications. Each of them hit their targets except for the middle Akane, who jumped up into the air at the last second, effectively dodging it.

"_That's the real one_." Kakashi thought as he then launched a couple more shuriken at the airborne girl. Thinking quickly, Akane performed the ram seal and made another buushin. The buushin grabbed her wrist and twirled her around in mid-air, throwing her in another direction so that she would not be hit by the shuriken.

"_Using_ _a clone to dodge in mid-air, nice_…" Kakashi thought as he then attempted to charge her before she landed on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the earth, Kakashi nailed her with a right hook square in the abdomen. "…_but not nice enough_,"

Just when he thought he finally had her, the Akane he had hit turned out to be another clone and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"_Again_?" Was all he had time to think as his feet were suddenly grabbed by two small hands from underneath the ground. Another Akane then charged him with kunai in hand. With one giant thrust, she pierced him in the stomach. As her hand gripped the kunai, she felt a wetness dripping from where she pierced Kakashi to where her hand was situated on the handle. She then began to fear the worst, that she had actually stabbed the real Kakashi, until she looked down and noticed that it was not blood but…

"_What the hell, water_?" But it was too late as the Kakashi she stabbed turned into nothing but a puddle of water in a split second. The clone underground was then dispelled just as quickly.

"_Where is he? Where did he go?"_ She thought as she frantically looked around for any signs of the copy ninja. All of a sudden, Kakashi rocketed from the ground and sent an uppercut straight into her jaw, sending her flying through the air and onto the ground about fifteen feet away. She landed with a thud and lay face up with her eyes closed. Performing the necessary handseals, Kakashi held out his hand and began to gather chakra in the palm. After gathering enough, he jumped high into the air and drifted until he was right over top of her. He then performed a nose dive, a crackling ball of chakra in hand, and attempted to pierce her with it.

"RAIKIRI!" He shouted as he plummeted downward and struck, causing an explosion of lightning and smoke. As the smoke began to clear, Akane slowly opened her eyes to the sight of the hand Kakashi preformed the raikiri in about one centimeter away from her head, held back only by both of her hands holding his wrist and upper arm. She was completely and utterly worn out.

"Looks like…you fail," Kakashi said smiling audaciously. She smirked a little at this.

"And just what are you smirking at?" He asked without moving a muscle. With the last of her strength, she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and slowly, but spastically, pulled it back. After completing the task, she fell back, her hands letting go of this arm, and fell unconscious. Kakashi stole a glance at his watch and stared in awe at the sight he saw. His watch read…

"Ten thirty p.m." He said, failing to understand why she did that until he took a second glance. "…and… one second" He said admiringly as he lifted up and stood straight up. At first he honestly didn't believe that she could do it, but after her vibrant display of determination, the heart warming realization, and the sheer skill that she showed in the face of danger, he now believed that she indeed has a chance. He looked down at her sleeping form which was silently snoring, covered in bruises and cuts of all sorts. In a way she looked peaceful there. He noticed that she was smiling in her sleep, the same way Naruto does when he accomplishes something big but is either asleep or unconscious at the time.

"_In a way, she does kind of remind me of Naruto. Anyway, I'll let her rest for now. She's going to need it, if she wants to survive tomorrow, that is."_

**(With Naruto and Kyu)**

"Can we go back to the ramen stand tomorrow?" Kyu asked silently but hopefully.

"Why, does somebody have a crush on Ayame?" Naruto responded teasingly while giving him a weird look.

"SHUTUP, I DO NOT." Kyu yelled back in defense and sticking his nose in the air.

"Well, I happen to recall you purring like a kitten when she started to scratch you and you practically begging her not to stop." Naruto said giving him a teasing chuckle.

"Oh really, well I didn't exactly see you hesitating when you tried to move closer to Akane this morning while she was sleeping." Kyu replied wittingly.

"YOU SAW THAT?" Naruto yelled alarmed.

"Every bit of it up until Kakashi appeared in the room." Kyu replied giving a devilish smirk.

"Well…umm…you see…Oh look, the grocery store." Naruto said trying to avoid the conversation altogether.

"_Sometimes your stupidity amazes even me, Naruto_," Kyu thought, his head hanging low while he sweatdropped.

"Besides, if anybody liked the ramen girl, it would be you." The fox said doing his best to get the blonde riled up.

"And what if I do?" Naruto said with a devilish smirk. Kyu was about to retort, but decided to just let the conversation go. There was really nothing to gain from it anyway.

**(Elsewhere)**

Outside of a local post office, the laziest shinobi in Konohagakure was resting on a bench, his hands behind his head while he gazed longingly at the white puffs of cotton candy above him. His mission today had been relatively simple, guide a certain person around the village, helping her with anything that she might need. That is until a fellow shinobi approached him.

"You have orders from Tsunade-sama, Nara Shikamaru." He said handing him a small scroll. Shikamaru unwillingly took it and slowly unrolled it. After reading its contents, he gave a long exasperated sigh.

"Can't she find someone else to do this?" Shikamaru asked lazily.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san. She specifically requested you for this A-class mission." He said respectfully.

"Man, what a drag. Alright, fine, let's just go." The lethargic ninja replied as he slowly stood up and drudgingly walked toward the Hokage tower.

"_How troublesome. I highly doubt filling out her paperwork could be considered an A-class mission_." He thought as he strolled down the streets, his hands in his pockets and eyes closed. Just as soon as he left, someone walked out of the grocery store.

"Alright, Shikamaru, I'm done now…" A blonde sixteen year old girl trailed off as she looked around for her raven haired escort, only to find him missing. She was wearing a black kimono with a red sash running across her waistline. Her hair was tied up into four separate ponytails. Her most notable feature was the humongous fan strapped across her back. From the looks of her, one could obviously tell that she was a kunoichi, but different from the other kunoichi in this village. For you see, the symbol on her headband was not of the leaf village, but one of its allied villages; more precisely, Sunagakure no Sato. She was holding a bag full of scrolls of some sort, most likely letters.

"_That lazy bastard. He promised me that he would show me around town, and the first thing I ask him to do, sit outside on a bench, he goes and wanders off_." She screamed irritantly in her mind as anger seemed to radiate from her. She shook her head exasperatedly.

"Great, now what am I supposed to do? I don't know where I am and my only guide walked off somewhere." She said in frustration. As if on cue, a certain blue eyed blonde walked out of a grocery store that was conveniently place next to the post office, carrying grocery bags full of different kinds of foods. A small, red fox was perched on his shoulders, licking its paw the same way that a kitten would. His face was obscured from her view because he was facing the opposite direction.

"_Maybe I could ask him for directions_." Temari thought as she started to walk towards him.

"I think we've done enough shopping to last us for about two weeks. Although with you, it may only be one day." Naruto said jokingly. Knowing not to speak when other people are close, Kyu just gave him a small but hateful glare and hopped into one of the grocery bags that he was carrying.

"Excuse me; you wouldn't happen to know how to get to the Hokage tower, would you? Temari asked and gently tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly turned around and faced her.

"Oh, were you talking to me?" Naruto asked innocently. Temari wasn't aware of what he said because she was too busy taking in the sight in front of her. He could only be described as the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"H-Hi," Temari said dreamily as she waved slightly, a small blush spread across her cheeks.

"Ummm…hello," Naruto said, a little bit uncomfortable. It was then that he noticed her signature four ponytails and the giant fan on her back, as well as her Suna headband and came to one conclusion.

"T-Temari…is, is that you?" Naruto asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, and just who might you be?" Temari said eyeing him suspiciously and putting a hand on her fan. If this guy knew her name, he might be a stalker or a pervert, or both. And if there were two things she didn't like, it was stalkers and perverts.

"Whoa, take it easy, Temari-chan. It's me, Naruto." Naruto said trying to shield himself from impending doom. She stared blankly at him for a few seconds with a puzzled look on her face. She then emitted a blush that rivaled one of Hinata when she realized who it was.

"_I can't believe that I just checked out Naruto_," She thought horrified. She then took a second look at him, ending up stopping at his shirt where his ripped muscles were almost popping out. She could faintly make out a six pack under the fabric. "_Then again, it might not be so bad_."

"Wait, so you're Naruto...Naruto Uzumaki?" She asked doubtfully. It really was hard to believe that this gorgeous man was the little, ramen obsessed boy she knew three years ago.

"Yeah, it's me alright. _Why does nobody recognize me when they first see me? Have I really changed all that much?_" Naruto pondered sarcastically.

"So what exactly are you doing her anyway, Temari-chan? Don't you live in Suna now?" Naruto asked as she slightly blushed that he would refer to her like that without a second thought.

"Yeah, I still do, but I'm sort of like an ambassador between Suna and Konoha. So naturally, I have to stay here over short periods of time every once in a while. This time just happens to be for the Chuunin exams that are happening soon." She explained.

"So, did you quit being a kunoichi or something?" Naruto asked.

"Of course not. I'm not only still a ninja, I'm a jounin." Temari replied happily. Naruto stared at her blankly before sulking.

"_Why, why must I be the only genin left_?" Naruto thought as a little chibi Naruto inside of his mind cried comically.

"Well, if you're already a jounin, then that means I'll just have to work my ass of twice as hard, now doesn't it." Naruto responded cheering up and giving her a small, sarcastic smirk while she gave him an admiring grin of her own.

"_Yep, that's Naruto all right_. Say Naruto, since my 'tour guide' sort of abandoned me and all, you wouldn't mind if…maybe…" Temari stopped as Naruto put his index finger over her lips softly.

"I would be honored to guide you around town, Temari-chan." Naruto said softly but meaningfully as a genuine smile graced his face. After he finished, for some unknown reason, Temari's stomach began to get butterflies. She didn't know why and just finally decided that it wasn't butterflies but something that she ate. Naruto slowly removed his finger from her mouth, although she wouldn't admit that she liked it.

"After you, my dear," Naruto said as he gave a playful bow, that she returned with a giggle. "_What the…Did Temari just giggle_?" Naruto thought astonished.

"Why Naruto, you're such a gentleman." Temari responded going along with it while speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I do try my best." He said as the two walked off.

**(Later that day, 6:45p.m.)**

"Wow, Naruto-kun. Who would have thought you could get into such a fancy restaurant, without a reservation no less." Temari said as she and Naruto walked side by side through a pathway in one of Konoha's many parks. They had both just been to one of the fanciest restaurants in the entire village, after running a day's full of errands that Temari had to run. Not only was she surprised that he was able to get in, but that they already had a table set up for them, almost as if they were expecting him. The experience had been enjoyable for both of them, but she was shocked at one thing. Naruto practiced good table manners the entire time that they were there. He used the appropriate utensils, was always a gentleman, whether it be helping her sit down or keeping the conversation clean and very appropriate while still making it entertaining, and ate his food very carefully, making sure not to spill a drop anywhere. Overall, she was quite impressed with how things went.

"Well, let's just say that I have…sources." Naruto replied, picking his words carefully, making sure not to reveal any more information then necessary. The truth was, the restaurant was owned by the Akimichi's and since Naruto was good friends with Choji, he was welcome anytime.

"Oh really, well then..." Temari stopped in her tracks as a chilly wind blew past the both of them. Temari immediately crossed her arms, trying to conserve as much warmth as possible.

"Are you okay, Temari-chan?" Naruto asked his the freezing kunoichi with a deep look of concern on his face.

"Oh, I'm...I'm fine. It's just...I'm not used to the colder air in Konoha, that's all," She replied putting on a fake smile as another gust of wind blew past. Naruto, being the good guy that he was, set the bags of groceries down onto the ground and took off his dark green jacket, draping it over her shoulders in the process.

"Naruto..." Temari was interrupted by the blonde.

"Don't worry about it, Temari-chan, I'll be fine. It is the middle of October and just like you said, you're from Suna. You need it more than I do." Naruto said happily, but Temari was bewildered and blushing furiously. Nobody had ever been exactly 'nice' to her before. Back when Gaara was a mindless killing machine, she always had to fend for herself. There was no being nice or kind back in those days. You did what you had to do to survive. But this one person, in just the span of a little less than half the day, had almost melted that shell that she forced herself into. For some odd reason, he made her feel secure, feel safe, feel...loved.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She said as she almost let out a small tear, but forced it back. After all, a ninja isn't supposed to show emotion. "Would you mind if we sit down for a bit?" She asked.

"Sure, Temari-chan," He replied as he picked up his groceries and led her to one of the park benches. Temari sat down gently, putting her fan to the side while Naruto plopped down beside her, setting his groceries down with a thump. When he did, a small noise came from inside the bag.

"Oh, I almost forgot you were in there. Sorry," Naruto said as he reached into the bag and brought out a small fox kit, which just happened to be Kyu. Apparently, he had fallen asleep in the bag and had now just been awoken when Naruto almost slammed the bag down. Kyu was about to retaliate with a witty remark when he noticed the blonde girl to the side of him.

"_Damn, I can't say anything because she's here. Alright, what sound do foxes make again_?" Kyu pondered before finally coming to a decision. He took in a deep breath and let out a small…

"Meow," Naruto stared at him stunned for a second. "_Kyu, you dumbass_." The blonde thought as he stared at it while sweatdropping. "_Since when does a fox 'meow'. Temari could see through that in a_..."

"OHHH! IT'S SO KAWAII," Temari practically screamed as hearts formed in her eyes. Naruto then fell over anime-style and got up as quickly as he fell down.

"Wow, Temari-chan, you're not someone that I'd expect to…you know…act like that about animals." Naruto said also sweatdropping at her antics as well.

"I know. But how could I not? It's so adorable. Does he have a name?" She responded, completely losing character and nuzzling his nose while she scratched him behind the ears.

"Yeah, his name is Kyu," Naruto answered while Kyu just sent him a hateful glare. Being a part of one of the most powerful demons in history and having a name like that would probably annoy you as well. The sat in silence for a minute before Naruto asked...

"Well anyway, how is Gaara doing? I haven't heard from him since I left." Naruto asked trying to start up a conversation.

"Oh, he's doing fine. He's a lot more…humane then he was before, even if he still doesn't speak more. All he used to do is kill and murder, but now, that's probably one of the things that he despises doing the most. He also treats everyone like actual human beings now. He's so kind and caring and he'll lay down his life for me and Kankuro and…and…it's just too great for words. He's never been happier in all of his life." Temari recited as it was like his biography.

"That's wonderful, Temari-chan. I'm really glad for Gaara. What is he now, by the way? I'd imagine he would at least be jounin like you and Kankuro." Naruto asked.

"Oh no, he's the Kazekage now." She said innocently as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Naruto's jaw extended and hit the ground beneath him.

"WHAT THE HELL, HE'S THE KAZEKAGE?" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Yep, and he's actually pretty good at it. After facing you, he realized that he was not put on this earth to kill, but to protect those he cherishes. So, he trained everyday, day and night. After about a year and a half of training, he was strong enough to be the Kazekage. And since the fourth Kazekage, our father, is dead, he took on the position." She explained while petting Kyu as he sat on her lap.

"Wow…Kazekage. Now that you mention it, Kazekage Gaara does have a nice ring to it." Naruto thought out loud as he leaned back in his seat and rested his head on his hands.

"Yeah, he's actually quite popular now among the village to, especially with girls. You wouldn't believe how many fangirls we have to fight off of him everyday. Apparently they like the silent but deadly types. He's just lucky he has that sand shield of his." Temari said jokingly.

"Really, then maybe I should try the 'silent but deadly thing'." Naruto said with a joking smile on his face.

"I don't think that would work with you, Naruto-kun. And besides, I like you just the way you are." Temari said, looking back into his eyes.

"Thank you, Temari-chan," He replied with the most meaningful voice and expression he could muster. He turned back and all three of them lay in a comfortable silence, staring at the setting sun. The way the clouds seemed to reflect the light and the sky turned a golden orange really made the scene before them stunning.

"You know, I've always admired Konoha's sunsets." Temari said looking peacefully at the sun as it began its trek downward. Just then, an idea popped up into Naruto's head.

"Well, I just happen to know the perfect place to see the sunset." Naruto said grabbing her palm and his grocery bags and heading down the street with her hand in hand.

**(On Top of the Hokage Monument)**

"Wow, Naruto-kun, you were right. This is beautiful." Temari said calmly as she stared out at the now more vibrant sun. Both of them were lying on their backs on top of one of the faces, the fourth's face to be exact.

"See, I told you so," Naruto replied as he stood up, walked out toward the edge, and stared out at the great ball of fire that was slowly but surely setting. She sat up slowly, in order to get a better look at what he was doing.

"One day, Temari-chan…My face is going to be up here. I'm going to be Hokage, just like Gaara is the Kazekage." He said coolly while still facing the sun. "I'll protect everyone in this entire village, and I'll show everyone what Naruto Uzumaki is made of. That's my ninja way." He finished, turning around and giving his version of the nice guy pose. She looked on at him admiringly as the sunset seemed to make a sort of glow behind him, giving him an ethereal look. She noticed that he also looked exactly like Gaara did when he vowed to protect all the people of Suna. This Uzumaki boy was definitely one of a kind all right.

"_If anybody can do it, it's you, Naruto-kun_." Temari thought with a genuine smile on her face. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Naruto called her name softly.

"Hey Temari-chan, do you know what that is?" He asked her pointing to a strange flower that was growing out of a crack in the sturdy rock.

"Wow, it's an Arenohana (Desert Flower). I haven't seen one since I was a little girl. They're really rare in Suna. I didn't even know that they grew in Konoha." She said as she stared at the little, ivory flower. Naruto also stared at it, until an idea suddenly popped in his head.

"Well, then it's only fitting…" Naruto said as he bent down and broke the bottom part of the stem. "…that I give this lovely, little flower to a lovely, little lady." He said, pushing her right bang aside and sticking it in her hair. This caused her to blush even redder than Hinata.

"Naruto, I…" She began.

"Oh man, I almost forgot. I have to get home and cook dinner. I'm really sorry Temari-chan." He said feeling sorry that he had to leave her.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun. May I ask why? We already had dinner, remember." She asked.

"It's not for me; it's for a friend of mine. She's staying over at my house." He replied.

"_Wait…SHE_!" Temari screamed inside of her mind. She was going to have to find out just who this girl is.

"Oh…I see. Well, you two have fun then." Temari said spitefully clenching her fists and trying her hardest not to break out in anger.

"But I'd be honored if you let me walk you home." Naruto offered, which cheered her up somewhat.

"That…would be nice." She said smiling and giving him a nod.

**(Konoha Hotel 9:00p.m.)**

The trip to Temari's dwellings was mostly uneventful, other then Temari laying her head on Naruto's shoulder as they walked side by side, which earned a blush from the blonde.

"Well here we are," Naruto said as they both stood on the outside of her hotel room door.

"Yeah," She replied with a depressing sigh, almost as if she didn't want it to end. "I had a really great day today with you, though."

"Same here, Temari-chan," Naruto said giving her a wink.

"Well, I guess I'll see you some other time. Hopefully in the near…" Naruto abruptly stopped when he felt Temari's soft lips press against his right cheek. Just as quickly as she had kissed him, she pulled back.

"Don't be a stranger, Naruto-_kun_, bye Kyu-kun," She said stressing the word kun in the most seductive way possible that it almost made Naruto have a nosebleed right then which after that she made a small wave towards Kyu. She then quickly closed the door, leaving a speechless Naruto standing at her door.

"_Wow, two kisses from two different girls in less than a week_." Naruto thought as he recalled the kiss from Tenten the day before. "_Kami must be a man after all_," Kyu who saw the whole thing from his perch on Naruto's shoulders, chuckled a little bit.

"I wonder what Akane would do if she saw that?" Kyu said hinting at something else.

"What is that supposed to mean, Baka-neko?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Wow, you're so blind, I don't even know how you make it through the day."

**(Naruto's Apartment 9:30p.m.)**

"Finally, we're home," Naruto said as he busted through the door, setting the groceries down in the process, jumped up into the air, and landed on his sofa.

"That's my bed, dumbass." Kyu said aggravated.

"I paid for it so it's mine." Naruto retorted.

"Why you…" Kyu stopped his attack when Akane suddenly appeared in the room in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey guys, long time no see," She said cheekily.

"Hey Akane-chan. Did your test go well?" Naruto asked hopefully as he shot up from his position on the sofa to stand right next to her.

"I don't know, you tell me, Naruto-kun." She said as she made a pointing gesture at the brand new hitae-tae around her neck. It took a few moments for it to register in Naruto's brain.

"AKANE-CHAN, THAT'S AWESOME! How about we celebrate with dinner?" Naruto asked.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei already treated me to lunch at this nice dango restaurant. I swear that man may look weak and uncaring, but he is a sadist when it comes to training. I'm literally pumping my last bit of chakra into my legs just to support my own body weight." She said pointing to her feet.

"Well, you better get some rest then. I wouldn't want you collapsing or anything." He said picking her up bridal style and bringing her into his room, which earned him a bright, crimson blush from her.

"_Something tells me she enjoyed that_." Kyu thought before he closed his eyes and attempted to get to sleep.

**(Outside…)**

"Why can't we just take her right now, he… already gave us the order." A shadowy figure asked, stressing the word 'he', as it and its partner looked through the window at Naruto and Akane.

"We will strike in the morning. That's an order and as my subordinate I expect you to follow it." The smaller figure replied aggressively. "This mission requires the utmost importantance. Did you do as I asked?"

"Yes, I copied down his genetic structure." The first figure replied.

"Good, then we proceed as planned, now go." The second commanded as the first vanished in the blink of an eye. The second then began to think to itself.

"_By morning, you shall have what you wish…_"

"_Orochimaru-sama,"_

**End: Chapter Five**

Well, there it is. This one is probably the longest yet so it took me a lot longer than expected. Now I'm going to clarify some things:

1. I chose the name Akane for a reason. I personally have never read Ranma ½ , so I didn't get it from there. I read on a website that it means brilliant red, and that is also what I fashioned chapter two off of, so I just went with that.

2. The final pairings for the harem are: **Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Temari, Ayame, Akane, and…Hinata**. Yes, I am putting Hinata in it. Why? I do know that she is used a lot, but I really had planned on her before I actually started writing the story and I don't want to change it now. But for all you people that really don't like her or think she's used too much, she's probably only going to be in like one…maybe two chapters, so don't fret.

Well that's about it. Thank you to all who take the time to review. I really appreciate it. Again, you don't have to, but it really is rewarding to a writer when people review. Well that's about all. Until next time.


	6. She Who Bears the Mark

Alright, chapter six time. This one doesn't feature a new love interest for our favorite blonde, but it does introduce a new character. One that is essential to an event later in the story. But that's all I can tell you now. Anyway here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

P.S. Before I submitted chap five last time, I noticed that I had a lot of mistakes. If I have time I'll go back and fix those, but if you see any while reading any of my chapters, it would be really appreciated if you just leave it in a review. Thank you.

**Chapter Six: She Who Bears the Mark**

As the sun slowly rose in the distance, one lone figure stood atop a large tree branch that was situated a small ways away from the bedroom of Naruto Uzumaki. A second figure appeared next to the first using the body flicker technique as a means.

"Now is the time to strike. But, do not harm her. Do I make myself clear?" The first spoke in an authoritative tone, clearly the second's superior in some way.

"Hai…Hikari-sama," The second replied, but only after a long pause, seemingly as if he was mulling over whether or not to obey the first's command. He then disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

**(Naruto's Bedroom)**

Akane slowly awoke and sat up in the bed, having had a peaceful sleep the night before. She took note of the still slumbering blonde beside her. He wasn't technically a light sleeper, as one could tell by his heavy snoring. While most people would get annoyed by it, she found it was actually kind of cute. She began to reminisce about yesterdays exploits, thinking back on her fight against Kakashi. She also remembered the promise she made.

"_Fine, then I'm going to become a ninja so I can protect Naruto-kun from all who want to hurt him. I'm going to get stronger for him. That is now my ninja way and I'm never going to go back on it."_

She turned and looked at the boy beside her, sleeping serenely. She gently patted his head and ruffled his hair a little bit, which earned her a contented smile from the slumbering blonde.

"I'm going to protect you with my life, Naruto-kun. I promise." She said her resolve strengthening. All of a sudden, her stomach began to growl ferociously. "_Maybe I should have eaten dinner last night_." She got up quickly and scrambled toward the kitchen, hoping to find anything edible.

"Good thing Naruto-kun went grocery shopping yesterday." She thought as she grabbed a small cup of instant ramen and slipped it into the microwave.

"_I have training with Kakashi-sensei today. And I really wanted to spend today with Naruto-kun. And to make sure that Tenten-san keeps her hands…and lips to herself._" She thought agitatedly as she waited on the ramen to cook.

Back in the bedroom, Naruto awoke slowly to the smell of ramen passing his nose. That delicious, wonderful smell was one of the few things that could wake him up in the morning, and it worked to perfection as he wandered into the kitchen to see where the scent was coming from. He noticed Akane in deep thought next to the microwave and concluded that it was her cooking it.

"Good morning, Akane-chan." Naruto said sleepily as he stifled out a yawn.

"Oh, good morning, Naruto-kun. Did you sleep well?" She asked turning around to face him. Naruto's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he noticed that she was wearing the light blue, lace night gown that she purchased at the lingerie shop a few days ago. Naruto just barely managed to hold in a nosebleed.

"_She wants me to die, doesn't she_?" Naruto thought sarcastically as he sweatdropped.

"Yeah, I slept great. Although getting up is the worst part. I wonder what I'm going to do for the rest of the day." He said leaning on the counter next to her.

"Well, I have to train with Kakashi-sensei today. Who knows what I'm up for today." She said giving a long, exasperated sigh.

"You mean this afternoon. He's not exactly known for being on time." Naruto said jokingly. Suddenly, they began to hear a soft knocking on the door.

"Well, speak of the devil." Naruto said as he walked over to the door to answer it. It slowly creaked open to reveal the sliver-haired copy ninja. Naruto stared at him weirdly for a second before letting him in. As they crossed paths, Kakashi and Naruto both looked each other in the eye.

"Hey Naruto. You ready to go, Akane-chan?" Kakashi asked cheekily.

"Yeah, just let me get dressed Kakashi-sen…" Akane replied before she was cut off by Naruto.

"Wait, Akane-chan. There's no need." Naruto said as he cut off the passage to his bedroom.

"Naruto-kun, what do you mean there's no need?" Akane asked confused.

"There's no need…because that's not Kakashi-sensei." Naruto answered smirking.

"Naruto, what's wrong with you? Of course it's me." 'Kakashi' said trying to reconcile with the blonde.

"I have to give you credit. You have the look, the voice, and the smell down; but there's many details that you forgot." Naruto paused before continuing. "I've known my sensei long enough to know when it's not really him. First off, you came extremely early, which Kakashi-sensei would never do, unless it was of the utmost importance. Getting up early in the morning to make sure we got to training on time is something Kakashi-sensei wouldn't even think of. Second, Kakashi-sensei mostly speaks in a bored tone. You may have gotten his voice right but you didn't bother to check his personality. Third, and most importantly, you're not reading his perverted little book. Kakashi-sensei is always reading his book when he's not on some mission or duty in the village." Naruto explained. The fake Kakashi-sensei then began clapping.

"Got to hand it to you, kid. You're not as stupid as he said you were." The fake said while giving a small laugh and reforming his body structure to a slightly scrawny, light skinned twenty year old with brown hair. He was wearing full ANBU attire complete with a face mask in the form of a chameleon.

"And just who might 'he' be? And why are you here" Naruto asked as he began to take a battle position.

"That, my boy…is none of your concern!" The fake said as he launched five kunai from a hidden place in his sleeve. Naruto was impacted in the chest with them and fell over.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Akane yelled as she witnessed the sight of the blonde getting impaled. Just when she thought he was gone, he poofed out of existence and reappeared behind the stranger with kunai in hand.

"Now, are you going to tell me why you're here?" Naruto asked gruffly as he let his kunai knick the skin of the stranger, letting a drop of blood spill onto it. The man smirked at him with a sinister grin before dissolving into a puddle of water.

"_Shit, a mizu buushin_." Naruto thought as the man then appeared out of the floor and rushed clear across the room toward Akane, drawing out the ANBU katana on his back.

"_I have to move_," Akane thought as she attempted to move, but found her legs were frozen in place. The truth was, she wasn't trapped by some technique, but she was paralyzed by her own fear. Her hands began trembling, her knees began quaking, and her heartbeat began beating out of control. The man came closer and closer until…

"AKANE, LOOK OUT!" Naruto yelled as he dove in front of her when the man attempted to stab her throught the heart. Naruto twisted his body so that the sword pierced his stomach, but in the process stuck out his leg and roundhouse kicked the man in the gut as well sending him into the north wall. Naruto landed on the ground with a thud.

"Why you little…" The ANBU said as he walked over to Naruto and kicked him over.

"You're going to pay for that!" He said as he pressed his foot down on the wound that Naruto obtained earlier and dug into it as hard as he could, as the blonde ninja screamed in pain.

"Stop it," Akane said quietly under her breath but loud enough for him to hear. He once again lifted up his foot and slammed it down on top of the gash.

"Stop it!" Akane repeated a little louder than last time. A slightly visible red aura began to radiate around her. The man smirked at her devilishly and slammed his foot down with all of the strength that he could muster. Naruto gave an inhuman scream as the pain racked his body.

"STOP IT NOW!!!" Akane screamed out as the red aura then erupted from her body and engulfed her as her canines grew larger and her nails extended. She stampeded at the man, punching him in the head, and slamming him against a wall. The force of it was so great, that the foundations of the apartment actually shook. The wall he collided with then crumbled under the sheer force of the attack as she pushed him through, sending him flying throught the air and onto the street below. He crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater where he had fallen. She stood at the edge of the hole in the wall, staring down at the man. All of a sudden, she began feeling lightheaded as she began to convert back into her normal state; her claws retracting, the aura dispersing, and her eyes turning back into the beautiful cerulean. She stumbled a bit before falling backwards, her body still on the edge of the hole, but a safe distance away to where she would not fall off.

"I'm going to kill you for that!" The ANBU said as he gradually stood to his feet, covered in a small amount of blood. As soon as he stood up completely, his mask began to crack right down the middle until it had completely fallen off. Behind the mask were a pale face and dark gray eyes with white pupils. He bounded from the ground to the hole in the wall, intent on slaughtering her for assaulting him like that. He was about finish her off, when the real Kakashi suddenly appeared, grabbing his hand before he could make the final blow.

"I don't take kindly to people who attack my students," Kakashi said coolly while looking downward. Kakashi threw him back toward the ground, the ANBU landing in the same spot he jumped from. The copy ninja then began forming a series of handseals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Kakashi yelled as a giant fireball erupted from his mouth toward the brown haired ANBU, who was knocked unconscious from Kakashi's earlier blow. Just as the ball of fire was about to connect, another mask wearing ANBU appeared in front of the other and stopped the enormous fireball with just her right hand. It exploded, leaving a smoking crater in its wake. The smoke cleared, revealing the masked ANBU standing in front of the unconscious one. She had long black hair coming down to the bottom of her waist. Her face was obscured by her mask, which was in the form of a bird. She was left completely unhurt by the attack and did not have a scorch mark anywhere on her body.

"Toshi, you fool. You're lucky that you are still needed. Otherwise, I would kill you myself for failing so miserably." She said coldly as she threw him over her shoulder and vanished in the blink of an eye. After she had disappeared, Kakashi looked back at Akane sprawled out across the floor, and an unconscious Naruto, whose stab wound seemed to be healing with each passing second, no doubt the work of the Kyuubi. He turned his head back to the crater that his fire jutsu had left.

"_Something tells me that we haven't seen the last of them_."

**(Elsewhere…)**

The bird-masked ANBU walked into an old, abandoned house on the other side of the village with an unconscious Toshi thrown over her shoulder. Toshi slowly awoke from his unconscious state and realized he was being carried.

"Can you put me down, Hikari-sama?" Toshi asked. She replied by suddenly dropping him on the ground.

"Thanks." He said sarcastically, with a slight hint of malice in his voice.

"Toshi, you blatantly disobeyed an order from me. I specifically told you not to attack her, and you did anyway. If that silver haired ninja had not of intercepted you, you might have killed her, and all would be lost." She explained.

"A thousand pardons, Hikari-sama. I suppose I just lost control of myself." He said apologizing.

"What is done, is done. Did you at least copy their DNA structure?" She asked hoping he did at least something right.

"Of course I did." He said smirking.

"Good, I need you to keep an eye on the Uzumaki boy. Do not let him know you are there and do not make any contact whatsoever, just observe for any future developments. Do I make myself clear?" Hikari said authoritatively.

"But of course, Hikari-sama." Toshi responded grinning mischievously and taking a mocking bow before disappearing.

**(Naruto's Apartment)**

"Hey Akane-chan, are you awake?" Naruto asked as he waved a hand in front of her face. She gradually opened her bright sapphire eyes to see the blonde that graced her dreams every night.

"NARUTO-KUN, YOU'RE ALIVE!" She yelled as she wrapped her arms around his abdomen and practically squeezed the life out of him.

"Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be?" Naruto said jokingly as he returned the embrace with a hug of his own. They stayed like that for a few seconds before they finally realized what they were doing and hastily released from each other, both looking the other way and blushing up a storm.

"It's about time you woke up, Akane-chan." Kakashi said as he stepped out into view, his eyes still glued to his book.

"_Now that's the Kakashi-sensei I know_." Naruto thought sarcastically.

"Why were you knocked out when I got here? I didn't see any wounds or spots where that guy could have hit you." Kakashi asked her as he leaned against a standing wall.

"Honestly, I don't know. All I remember is that guy stabbing Naruto-kun, then after that, it's all a blank until just now when Naruto-kun woke me up." She answered innocently.

"Well, then I'll have to look into it another time. We still have training today." Kakashi said closing his book and slipping it into his back pocket.

"Alright Kakashi-sensei, just give me a minute." She said as she briskly walked into the undamaged bathroom, leaving Naruto and Kakashi alone.

"Why are you never serious about me and Sakura-chan's training, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Two reasons. First, you have Jiraiya and Sakura has Tsunade. Second, you two have had three years to train. Akane just appeared less than a week ago." Kakashi said, not even making eye contact with Naruto. Naruto just gave a nod.

"So, do you have any idea who those two were?" Kakashi asked getting serious for once.

"No idea. But I noticed that the guy wasn't after me, but Akane-chan. I could tell by the way he kept trying to avoid me and attacked her." Naruto answered reminiscing back on when the ANBU charged Akane.

"I'm not exactly sure either, what with me getting here at the very last second and all. Maybe you should ask Tsunade about it." Kakashi said as he got up from his leaning position on the wall.

"Alright, I'll do that now. I really don't have anything planned for today anyway." Naruto replied.

"Alright, let's go Kakashi-sensei." Akane said as she walked out of the bedroom in her ninja outfit.

"Bye Naruto-kun. Tell Kyu-kun that I said goodbye." She said as she walked out of the door, Kakashi following close behind. As soon as she left, Naruto heard a faint purr from inside the room.

"Kyu, is that you?" Naruto asked as he peered over the couch to see a sleeping Kyu. He nudged him a bit and after a few seconds, the scarlet fox stirred.

"What do you want, Naruto?" Kyu asked gruffly as it tried to get back to sleep.

"WHAT THE HELL. YOU WERE SLEEPING THIS WHOLE TIME?" Naruto yelled unbelievably. How anything could sleep through that ordeal was beyond him.

"Do you have to yell so early in the morning?" Kyu asked while he winced at the loudness of Naruto's voice.

"Nevermind Kyu." Naruto said with an exasperated sigh. "Do you want to come with me?"

"I think that I'll just stay and guard the house." Kyu said as he, once again, closed his eyes.

"And just how are you supposed to guard the house? All you can do is sleep, eat, and be a smartass." Naruto said.

"You'd be surprised at what I can do, Naruto." Kyu replied back mysteriously.

"Whatever, if you want to stay you can. But I am out of here." Naruto said quickly performing the morning rituals, putting on his favorite orange outfit, and briskly walking out of the door.

"Fine, I'll go. But not because I want to, I'm just hungry, that's all." Kyu said, suddenly changing his mind.

"_Yeah, right. You're just going because you think we'll stop by the ramen stand to see Ayame-chan_." Naruto thought as he exited the door.

**(Later)**

Naruto gently strolled down the street leading to the Hokage tower, Kyu perched in his usual position on his shoulder. By this time in the morning, the street was slowly starting to fill up with people. There were children everywhere playing a game of tag or pretending to be ninja, while adults walked happily along their way, off to run their errands or perform some task which should've been done the day before. The whole scene was quite nice actually. If Naruto hadn't have been brutally attacked day and night for the first eight years of his life, he would've thought that this was the best place to live. His thoughts started to wander to the guy that had previously attacked him and Akane.

"_What's strange is that he didn't go after me, but after Akane-chan_." Naruto thought as he almost ran into a bunch of running children. "_I can think of a reason that he would go after me, but not her. She's really only less than a week old, so she couldn't have done anything to make him want to attack her_, s_o why her_?" Naruto thought intently.

"What's wrong, kit?" Kyu asked in his typical emotionless voice, shaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Oh…nothing's wrong," Naruto replied in a hushed tone, averting the foxes gaze. They walked in a deafening silence for about thirty seconds before Kyu spoke up once more.

"Are you wondering who those ninja were to?" Kyu asked.

"You said you were asleep. How would you know?" Naruto said as he stared at Kyu accusingly.

"I actually woke up when Akane blew a hole in the wall. I was going to act, but I smelled Kakashi on his way here, so I figured he would handle it." Kyu responded.

"Don't you think it's strange that he attacked Akane-chan? They wouldn't have a reason to." Naruto asked him, hoping the fox would have a few answers.

"It is strange that he would go after her, especially without even making an attempt to take you out first. Our best lead is probably to ask your hokage about it. If anybody knows, it would be her." Kyu replied.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Naruto said shrugging his shoulders.

"There is something that disturbs me, though," Kyu started as Naruto looked at him, signaling to go on. "I noticed the headbands that the two of them wore. Both of them had the symbol of the leaf village on their headbands." Naruto froze in his tracks and stared at the ground in shock.

"Are you serious, Kyu? If this is a joke, it's not funny." Naruto asked him seriously.

"What I tell you is the truth. But the weird part is…both of them smelled like snake." Kyu said in the gravest tone he could muster. The look on Naruto's face was one of pure horror.

"_No, it can't be. Is it really…Orochimaru_? _But if it is, why were they wearing Konoha headbands? It really doesn't make sense_." Naruto thought intently.

"I have no idea why they had the scent of snake on them, though. But we'll get our answers soon enough, now won't we." Kyu said.

"I suppose so." Naruto responded. They walked even further along, Kyu keeping to himself, while Naruto thought more about what Kyu had said.

"_If they really work for Orochimaru, could that mean that Sasuke is close by as well? No, I need to leave this alone. I need to focus on what I'm doing right now and worry about that later_." He resolved.

All of a sudden, Kyu perked up his ears as he heard a faint crying sound from far off in the distance.

"Did you hear that?" Kyu asked Naruto.

"Hear what?" Naruto replied. Ignoring his response, Kyu leapt off of his shoulder and ran towards the crying sound.

"Kyu, what the hell…" Naruto said as he ran off after him. Kyu stopped at an intersection, his ears twitching once more in order to pick up the sound again. It seemed as it was coming from the east, so he ran down the street after it.

"Kyu, come back. What sound are you talking about?" Naruto asked as he looked around at the intersection for the fox that had disappeared from his vision. He caught a glimpse of his red, bushy tail down the street to the right, so he decided to follow it. Kyu stopped in front of an alleyway as Naruto caught up to him and slowly walked inside, the blonde shinobi following close behind.

Naruto looked throughout the dimly light alleyway, wondering why Kyu would come into such a place. His eyes rested on a little girl hunched over in the corner, hiding behind a couple of boxes as best she could. She looked to be no more than seven years old. He noticed that the dark gray kimono that she wore was torn at the bottom as well as slight tatters all over, as if she had been attacked by some wild animal. The only other feature he could make out was her hair, which was the same color as Naruto's. It was tied up into two long pigtails, much like Naruto's hair when he's using his sexy technique. She was sobbing quietly to herself.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her as he knelt down to her level, Kyu jumping back on his shoulder. She lifted her head gradually and came face to face with him.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked again, pulling a handkerchief out of his pockets for her to dry her eyes on.

"I lost…my neechan in the streets…today and…I-I can't find him." She answered in-between sobs as she dried her eyes on the piece of fabric.

"Well, I help you find him. As the future hokage, it's my duty to help anyone in need." Naruto said giving her a warm smile.

"Wait, you're not going to…beat me up, mister?" She asked innocently.

"Of course not. Why on earth would I do that?" Naruto asked her, slightly taken back at her odd question.

"That's what my…neechan does most…of the time," She answered as she stifled out a few sniffs.

"But…why would he do that?" Naruto asked her.

"I don't know, mister." She replied softly. Naruto was appalled at her answer. What kind of brother would do something like that to their younger sibling?

"Do you know where you live?" Naruto asked her, hoping she would have some sort of clue.

"I don't know the way, but my neechan does." She answered.

"Well then…I might not like the way he treats you, but we do have to get you home, and he's the only one who might know where you live." Naruto said standing up and helping her stand to her feet in the process.

"Come on, let's go." He said, grasping her tiny hand as they walked off. Kyu crawled from Naruto's shoulder, traversing their connected hands, over to her shoulder. He nuzzled her neck with his soft fur, which earned him a small giggle as she petted him with her free hand.

On top of the roof overlooking the alleyway, Toshi gazed upon the two of them leaving, a sinister smirk plastered across his face.

"Well, well, well; what do we have here?" He said to no one in particular as he leapt off the roof, intent on following them.

**(Later on...)**

Naruto and the little girl walked hand in hand through the streets of Konoha, Kyu cuddled around her neck. Her tears where now but a faint memory as a bright, young smile adorned her face.

"So, what's your name? My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said as he turned his head to face her.

"My name is Kioko. I don't have a last name though." She answered; slightly embarrassed that she didn't have a last name. Just then, Kyu began licking her face playfully, to which she started giggling again.

"Ohhh, he's so cute. Is he your pet fox, Naruto-san?" She asked him as she started squeezing the life out of him in a bone crushing hug.

"Yeah, his name is Kyu. Ummm…you might want to let go now." Naruto said sweatdropping as he pointed to the unconscious red fox.

"Sorry Naruto-san. I guess I just got carried away." She said rubbing the back of her head in pure, anime fashion and releasing Kyu from her death grip. After being released, he fell down to the ground.

Some of the bystanders looked on at the three of them and began conversing amongst themselves. Kyu, noticing that they were staring at the three of them strangely, listened in on their conversation using his extra heightened sense of hearing.

"Is she the one that…?" One female civilian asked her companion.

"Yeah, and she's with that demon child too." The other one replied, whispering softly as not to attract attention.

"If you ask me, I think the Hokage should expel both of them from Konoha." Another said walking up to the first two.

"W_hy would they want her expelled? I can understand Naruto because of the fox, but why her? What has she done_?" Kyu thought intently as he stared her down for an answer.

"Wait, what is that thing on her…" Kyu was jolted out of his thoughts when he noticed Naruto and Kioko walking off. He ran as fast as he could and jumped back up to the little blonde's shoulder.

"So, what does your brother look like anyway?" Naruto said looking around.

"Well he…Oh, there he is." She said pointing to a tall, pale skinned boy with blonde hair reaching down to his shoulder. He looked to be about sixteen. He was wearing a dark blue traditional yukata, held together by a dark, scarlet sash.

"Niichan, there you are." Kioko said running up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. He turned around and shoved her off of him in a fit of disgust.

"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO TOUCH ME YOU FILTHY LITTLE CHILD!" He yelled as she fell towards the ground. At the last second, Naruto used the body flicker technique to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Who the hell do you think you are, treating your little sister like that?" Naruto said in a slightly demonic voice as he held Kioko in his arms while his eyes started to flicker a bright crimson.

"Stay out of things that do not concern you." The man said menacingly as he stared at Naruto with a hint of malice in his eyes.

"Like hell it concerns me you can't just…" At that moment, Kioko jumped out of Naruto's arms and ran up to the stranger, stopping in front of him and lowering her head.

"I am very sorry Daichi-niichan. Please find it in your heart to forgive me." Kioko said very solemnly. Daichi stared blankly at her for a few seconds before responding.

"Don't you ever touch me again you worthless piece of trash. Now come," Daichi demanded as he began to walk off.

"Yes, Daichi-niichan." Kioko said as she trailed behind him. Naruto looked on at the sight disgusted.

"_How could anybody treat their sibling like that_?" Naruto thought angered. He pondered for a bit. What if he tried to hurt her like that again?

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" Naruto said sternly as he ran up to them and grabbed Kioko's hand. Kyu then jumped from Naruto's shoulder back onto hers.

"Really, Naruto-san. That would be great. Come on, Naruto-san." She said as she pulled him along, Naruto struggling to keep up. Daichi stared at the two of them running side by side.

"That insignificant little worm, she should be dead. It's all her fault." Daichi said walking after the two of them.

As Naruto and Kioko ran down the street, Naruto looked at her with a smile on his face. After a few moments, he noticed that she had a strange marking on the back of her neck.

As he stared at it strangely, he soon realized what it was.

"_No, it can't be, that's a…cursed seal_!"

**(Kioko's House)**

"BAA-CHAN, WE'RE HOME!" Kioko yelled as she stepped through the front door of her house, hand in hand with Naruto, followed by an aggravated Daichi.

"Oh Kioko, is that you?" An old, female voice asked from a different room of the house. She walked out of the door and into the room where the three of them where.

"Of course it's me, baa-chan. Who else would it be?" Kioko answered running up to her and giving her the biggest hug that she could muster.

"It's good to see you, little one. Nice to see you too, Daichi." She said turning to Daichi and giving him a smile.

"Whatever, I'm going to my room now." He retorted, walking up the stairs to his quarters.

"_Tsch, what the hell is that guy's problem anyway_?" Naruto thought as Daichi passed him.

"And who is your friend, Kioko?" The old woman said as she noticed Naruto in their presence.

"Oh, my name is Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said giving her a nice guy pose.

"Really. Kioko, why don't you go upstairs and play for a while." The old woman said giving the little blonde a reassuring pat on the back.

"But baachan, do I have to? I wan't to stay here with Naruto-san." Kioko whined pointing to the blonde ninja.

"If you go, I'll let you play with Kyu." Naruto offered, grabbing Kyu and holding him in front of her.

"Really, come on Kyu-kun. We're going to go play dress up." She replied putting the poor fox in a grip that he could not escape. Kyu stared at Naruto from over her shoulder, with a look that could clearly be read as the 'I'm going to get you' look.

"Cute kid, isn't she?" Naruto said smirking and turning back to the elderly woman

"You have no idea. Please, sit down." The woman said gesturing for Naruto to take a seat in one of her chairs, to which he obliged.

"So, your name is Uzumaki, is it not?" She asked while pouring a cup of tea that was situated nicely on an aged coffee table.

"Yes ma'am." Naruto responded politely.

"You remind me of another man I once knew. He had golden locks just like yours. Actually, if I didn't know any better, I would have probably confused you for him. But, enough reminiscing, would you like some tea, dear." She asked him.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you." Naruto answered, holding out his tea cup for her to pour some in. After she had done so, he leaned back in his chair and quietly sipped the tea.

"So, um…" Naruto began, not really knowing what to call her.

"Forgive me, my name is Chiyoso. But you may call me baachan like little Kioko does." She said cheekily.

"Um, baachan…" Naruto stuttered out, not exactly sure how to word the upcoming question.

"Are you wondering about the seal on the back of her neck?" Chiyoso asked him in a very solemn manner.

"Yes, if you would be so kind to tell me, how exactly did she get it?" Naruto asked, hoping she would be able to answer the many questions in his head.

"Well it all started when she was kidnapped by a follower of Orochimaru." Chiyoso began, adjusting in her seat to find a comfortable position.

"The snake had been looking for test subjects to experiment on with the cursed seal and she was just caught up in the group. Her brother Daichi had hidden himself like a coward, so he was saved from the kidnapping. Since she was only two years old at the time, she was deemed unfit to use it properly, even though she survived the one in ten survival rate by a mere stroke of luck. Just as she was about to be put to death, her mother and father were able to rescue her and many other kidnapped subjects." She stopped and began reminiscing on the child's father and mother for a bit.

"Her mother and father were very great people, you know. They were the ideal ninja. Talented, hard-working, selfless, caring, kind, smart; these were just a few of their many qualities. I should know, I raised her father myself." Chiyoso said, taking another sip of her tea while Naruto continued to listen intently.

"After they returned, things went back to normal for the four of them; her, her mother, her father, and her brother. They lived in peace for a couple years. She and her brother were the best of siblings. It seemed like nothing could break them apart. That is…until the sound and sand attacked Konohagakure." She said seriously while Naruto looked down in shame at one of the worst moments in Konoha's history, other than the Kyuubi attack.

**(Flashback no Jutsu)**

"KIOKO, DAICHI; RUN AWAY!" Her father yelled as he parried an attack with his kunai. He rotated his body and kicked the enemy sound nin in the abdomen, sending him flying through the air.

The both of them ran as fast as they could down the street, when suddenly, Kioko tripped and began to fall. Reacting quickly, Daichi grabbed her and began to run off with her. Suddenly, a vicious tremor then shook the ground and Daichi tumbled over.

"What was that?" Daichi said slowly getting up and grasping her waist in an effort to continue running. He looked up to see in the distance…

"_What the hell, is that a giant frog and a raccoon_?" He thought as looked on in confusion. While he was completely distracted, an enemy sand nin sneaked up behind him.

"Now I've got you, you little brats!" The nin said as he prepared to strike. Before he could attack, Kioko's mother, wearing the standard ANBU outfit, drew her sword from its sheath and slashed the man vertically from the top of his right shoulder to his right leg, blood spewing everywhere.

More enemy sand and sound nins began to converge on their location. After a few seconds the group was almost completely surrounded.

"We have to get them out of here." Kioko's mother said to her husband as they stood back to back, Kioko and Daichi next to them, both frozen in fear.

"Tell me about it. Crap, we're completely surrounded." He replied, turning his head to her and losing focus for a split second. Out of nowhere, an enemy charged him with a katana, attempting to slice him in half. He was able to parry the attack, but as soon as he did, the sand nin turned into a log covered in exploding tags. Her mother, as if on instinct, managed to grab Kioko and Daichi and escape the blast with them. However, her husband wasn't as lucky as he was engulfed in a torrent of flames.

"NNNNOOOO!" Her mother screamed as she saw the love her life burn before her.

"FATHER!" Daichi yelled with tears flowing from his eyes. Kioko stared at her burning father blankly, not moving an inch.

"Now that he's gone, the rest of you should be easy." One of the enemy nin said smugly as him and his comrades prepared to strike.

"KIOKO, WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!" Her mother yelled, hoping to convince her daughter to escape. But all Kioko did was stand there motionless, still staring at her fathers burning remains.

"KIOKO, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT…" Her mother screamed as she attempted to pull her daughter away. Just as she was about to grab her, Kioko caught her mother's wrist and stopped her from going any farther. All of a sudden, Kioko's eyes began to dilate. The cursed seal mark began to glow and spread across her skin in a sort of swiveling form. The trademark purple chakra that came with the cursed seal began to swerve around her, and she lost all traits of the little blonde girl that she once was.

"Kioko, what are you…" Kioko squeezed her mother's wrist and snapped her hand off. Her mother jumped back holding her wrist and fighting back the screams of agonizing pain that she wanted to voice, and finally fell to the ground, still hanging onto life while Daichi stood back and watched the scene before him unfold.

Kioko charged one of the sound nin, sending a blow right into his stomach. The purple chakra poured out of her fist and into the man, making a gaping hole in his abdomen. Another nin tried to stab her as well, but she turned around in the nick of time and stole his kunai right from under his nose. She appeared behind him and slashed his throat, pivoting and slashing another nin as well. She then stopped suddenly as the rest of them looked on in fear.

"What the hell is she?" A sound nin asked from behind his mask. Kioko stared at them blankly as the seal kept encompassing her body, spreading its tendrils like roots growing from a tree.

"Who cares, let's just get her." Another nin said, obviously the leader of the group. All of them rushed forward at once, hoping to slay her. Kioko stood still and gripped her stolen kunai tighter. In a flash of light, it was over. All of the enemy nin had been slain. There bodies mutilated, their organs exposed, and their limbs torn off. It was probably the most violent and horrific sight one could ever see.

Kioko walked up to her mother, the purple shaded chakra still encircling her, and stared down at with emotionless eyes. Her mother was basically on her last breath, the blood pouring out of her severed hand and she was breathing heavily. With her other hand she covered the stab wound on her chest that she had received previously, her palms covered in the crimson dye. Her mother looked up at her with a contented smile on her face.

"I know you can't understand what I'm saying right now or what you're doing, dear, because of that atrocious cursed seal." She said looking into her daughters eyes. Kioko brought the kunai up to her chest and wrapped both hands around it.

"But just remember, honey…" She said as she closed her eyes, tears of happiness streaming down her face. Kioko prepared to plunge the kunai right into her mother's heart, when she spoke her last words…

"Mommy loves you,"

**(End Flashback)**

"Kioko ended up killing her mother that day, and the village didn't take to kindly to it. Her father was a very respected jounin and her mother was in the ANBU. When people heard what happened, the wanted to have her killed." Chiyoso said gloomily, taking another sip of her tea.

"I see. Is that when you took them?" Naruto asked, not daring to look up and cursing Orochimaru in his mind.

"Yes, being the only blood relative of theirs left, I had to take them in. She was too young at that time to be affected by a death sentence. As long as she has a guardian, she will not be killed." She replied sighing.

"That makes sense. Is that why Daichi is so hostile towards her?" Naruto asked quietly, looking up at her.

"Yes, Daichi hated the sand and sound for attacking that day. He hated Orochimaru for giving the order to attack in the first place. But most of all, he hated Kioko for killing their mother; even though, deep down, he knows that it wasn't her fault." She answered, refilling Naruto's cup of tea before continuing.

"He blames her for that and all the problems in his life. He says that if she wouldn't have been captured by Orochimaru, none of this would have happened. He even hates that she is alive and detests her very being." She said looking at the stairs that led to the second floor.

"Although honestly, he can only blame himself. If he wouldn't have hid back when she was captured, she wouldn't have even been given the seal. But he chose to save himself, not even thinking of getting her to safety. And because of that, his parents paid the ultimate price that day." She said finishing the rest of her tea.

"_Damn you, Orochimaru. Making a little girl suffer like this, just to further your own selfish desires. You'll pay for this_." Naruto thought as he clenched his fists.

"Naruto-san, will you play with me now?" Kioko asked as she ran down the stairs, holding a weary looking Kyu in her arms.

"Sure, just…" Naruto stopped as he looked at a clock on the wall near him.

"I can't believe it's four already. Sorry, Kioko, I have to go." Naruto said scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It's alright, Naruto-san," She said saddened. Naruto couldn't bear to see her like that.

"Tell you what; I'll come visit you tomorrow. How does that sound?" Naruto said trying to make it up to her.

"That would be great, Naruto-san." She replied perking up again.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Baachan, bye Kioko." Naruto said as he and Kyu walked off.

"Bye Naruto-san!" Kioko yelled cheekily back waving at them.

**(Meanwhile…)**

Daichi sat cross-legged on the floor in his dark room, not even moving an inch. He was positioned right in front of a picture of his mother and father, candles situated around it as to make it visible. He stared at it blankly, almost as if he was secretly hoping that they would magically appear in front of him.

"I hate you, Kioko. It's your fault that they're gone. It's all your fault. I wish you were dead." He recited to himself while tears escaped his eyes.

"If you hate her so much, then why don't you do something about it?" An eerie voice asked.

"Who's there?" Daichi asked monotonously, as if he had known someone was there.

"Oh, nobody important." The voice replied as a man walked out of a corner shrouded by shadows, making himself visible. He was wearing a traditional yukata and had short brown hair.

"And just who are you?" Daichi asked emotionlessly.

"Like I said, nobody of interest. I'm just here to offer you a…little gift." The man said, grinning mischievously.

"Not interested. Now, get out of my sight!" Daichi retorted, going back to his mourning.

"What if I told you this gift could bring your parents back?" The man replied smugly. This seemed to hit a nerve of Daichi's, as he turned around shocked before resuming his usual position.

"You're lying. There is no way to bring somebody back from the dead." Daichi said firmly.

"Ah, but there is. My master has found a way to bring individuals back from the dead." The man retorted, placing a hand on Daichi's shoulder.

"What's the catch? There's always a catch." Daichi asked him.

"It's simple really. All that is needed is the freshly dead body of someone of the same genetic pool as the person you wish to resurrect. Like say…a daughter!" He replied while grinning at the last part. Daichi didn't even flinch when he mentioned the last two words.

"Can…Can he resurrect two people?" Daichi thought as he recalled his father.

"Of course. All he would need is two substitutes instead of one. I'll let you think about it." The man answered while giving him a pat on the back and disappearing into the darkness. After the man had left the room, he exited the house via an open window and jumped up to the roof.

"Teenagers are so easy to fool these days." The man said softly but sinisterly as he morphed into a brown haired kid with gray eyes that contained white pupils.

Daichi sat staring at the picture of his parents and mulled over the situation.

"_Finally, Kioko, you will be put to good use_!"

**(Hokage Tower)**

"Hey, Tsunade-sama." Naruto said quietly as he slowly opened the door to Tsunade's office. Tsunade stared at him with an expression of confusion on her face.

"What are you staring at?" He asked, a little freaked out at the way she eyed him.

"Is their something wrong, Naruto?" She asked him.

"Actually, yes. How did you know?" He asked quizzically.

"Well you called me Tsunade-sama instead of the usual 'baachan', and you didn't yell or slam the door as you came in. Did something happen?" She said signing another document.

"We were attacked by ninja this morning." He said sternly.

"What, who were they? I'll send out shinobi immediately." Tsunade said pounding on her desk with her fist.

"I don't know who they were, only what they wanted. As we fought, they focused on Akane, completely avoiding me or only attacking me to get access to her." Naruto said thinking back to his fight with Toshi.

"But why would they want her?" Tsunade asked leaning back in her chair.

"I have no idea. I was hoping I could get some information from you." He said sighing.

"Well, Naruto, what you gave me is pretty vague. Is there anything else at all that you could give me?" She asked rubbing the temples on her forehead. "_I might look twenty five, but I am definitely getting too old for this_."

"Well there were two other things that concerned me." Naruto said as Kyu jumped off of his shoulder and onto Tsunade's desk.

"And what would those be?" She said quirking an eyebrow. Naruto was about to answer when Kyu beat him to it.

"Both of them wore Konoha headbands." Kyu said sternly. Tsunade stared at him wide-eyed.

"Is this true, Naruto?" She asked him, hoping that it was just some joke.

"It's true alright, but that's not the worst of it." Naruto said, motioning for Kyu to continue.

"Tsunade-sama, both of them…have the scent of snake on them." Kyu said in a dramatic sort of fashion. Instantly, Tsunade tensed up.

"_Orochimaru, what the hell are you thinking_?" She thought as she once again slammed her fist into the table, this time snapping it in half. After she had calmed down a bit, she spoke.

"Alright, Naruto, I'll look into it. Just try to get some sleep tonight. If it really is Orochimaru, then they will be back, so be on the lookout. I don't know what he wants with Akane, but whatever it is, it can't be good." She said expelling a breath.

"Thank you, Baachan. Alright, I should get home and fix that wall now. See ya!" He said running out of the door while Kyu followed after him. As soon as he was gone, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and put her hands behind her head. It was then that Shizune entered the room.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama. Is their something wrong?" She asked.

"Shizune, bring me some sake. I think I'm going to need it."

**(Naruto's Apartment)**

"Hey, we're home!" Naruto yelled as he opened the door to his apartment. He looked around and saw Akane on his couch, reading some sort of strange book.

"Oh, hey Naruto-kun," Akane said upon seeing him as she ran up and gave him a quick embrace.

"What are you doing here so early? I usually beat you home." He asked as he let go of their hug.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei and I finished training early, so we decided to fix the wall with all the spare time we had left." She replied pointing to the brand new wall that was in place of the hole.

"Really, that's great Akane-chan. Say, what were you reading anyway?" He asked her pointing to the orange book in her hands.

"Well, I wanted to see just why Kakashi-sensei is always reading his book, so during lunchtime, I went out and bought me a copy. I was about to start it just now." She explained.

"No, Akane-chan, don't read that!" Naruto said as he attempted to grab the book from her hands.

"Why not?" She said as she held him at arm's distance, preventing him from getting it.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked her, to which she replied with a nod. He began to whisper in her ear. After he was done, she stood motionless for a few seconds.

"AHHH! KAKASHI-SENSEI IS A PERVERT!" She yelled as she threw the book against the wall.

"_Wow, those are some familiar words_." Naruto thought as remembered the time he said that when he found out what was in that orange book.

"What I don't get is why they let you have a copy. You don't even look eighteen." He wondered.

"Well I am thousands of years in age. So really, it's not actually a crime." She said.

"Well, I guess you're right." He said shrugging it off.

**(Later that Night…)**

Naruto lay awake in his bed, a sleeping Akane next to him. For some reason, his mind kept wandering back to a certain little blonde girl.

"_A little girl shouldn't have to go through situations like this. She's only seven years old_." He thought as he stared at the ceiling. Akane shifted a little, rolling over and wrapping her arms around Naruto and laying her head on his chest.

"_Orochimaru, how could you put a little girl through something like this? Because of you she had to kill her own mother._" He thought, reminiscing on the story Chiyoso told him.

"Naruto, we have to go now!" Kyu said as he pushed the door open and jumped onto the blonde shinobi.

"What is it, Kyu?" Naruto asked in an agitated tone.

"It's Kioko. The scent of blood is pouring from her house." He replied. Naruto immediately jumped into action.

"Damn it, I hope everything's alright." Naruto said swiftly putting on his favorite orange outfit.

"Naruto-kun, where are you going?" Akane asked as she was awoken from her sleep.

"Sorry, Akane-chan, I have to go." Naruto said as he began to run out of the apartment door.

"Well, I'm going with you." She said as she jumped out of bed in her kunoichi outfit.

"Why are you wearing that?" Naruto asked.

"I thought those ninja from this morning might come again, so I just wanted to be prepared." She replied.

"Alright, let's go." Naruto said as they all ran out of the door.

**(Earlier…)**

"Kioko, are you still playing at this time of night?" Chiyoso said as she entered her granddaughter's room to see her playing.

"Yes, Baachan. I just can't sleep. I wan't to see Naruto-san and Kyu-kun again." She said as she jumped around wildly.

"I know, dear. Just promise me you'll try to get some sleep, okay," She said smiling at her and walking off.

"Don't worry, I'll will baachan." She replied. Chiyoso began to walk back downstairs.

"It's good that Kioko finally found a friend." She thought to herself. She saw a shadow of a tall human come down the stairs, followed by the faint tapping of steps.

"Daichi, is that you?" She asked quietly as she strained her eyes in an effort to determine who it was. There, at the bottom of the stairs, stood Daichi holding the handle of a katana which was so nicely situated in the sash of his robe. He took a few steps toward her, pulling the katana ever so slowly out of its sheath while staring at her with the most cold, emotionless eyes that one could ever have.

"Daichi, what are you…?"

**(With Naruto)**

"Are you sure it's blood that you smell?" Naruto asked Kyu as they ran through the shady, empty streets of Konohagakure.

"There's no mistaking it, Naruto. It's definitely blood, and a lot of it." Kyu replied as the group turned a corner and continued running at full speed.

"_But why would there be_…" Naruto questioned in his mind, until he thought back on the conversation he had earlier with Chiyoso. "_Damn it, if Daichi is involved in this somehow, I'm going to get him_." After passing a few more streets, the group of three finally arrived in front of the dingy house.

"Alright, we're here. Remember, we don't exactly know what's going on, so proceed with caution." Kyu said giving his last words of advice, while both Naruto and Akane gave him an approving nod.

Naruto tugged on the doorknob to find that the door was unlocked, which was strange considering that it was so late at night. Shrugging it off, he slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open. What he saw horrified him so that nothing could be said to justify it. Blood covered almost every wall in the house. Everything from the lampshades to the pillows was covered in the appalling, crimson dye. He looked around and noticed the body of a certain elderly woman on the ground. He quickly ran over to her and held her head up.

"Baachan, speak to me. Are you still alive?" He asked as he shook her hoping to get a response.

"N-Naruto…please, please…s-stop hi-him. D-Don't…l-l-let him g-get to…" She managed to speak before she fully passed out. Naruto clenched her tightly and paused for a moment before speaking up again.

"She's dead." Kyu said putting a paw on her heart and feeling no pulse.

"Quick, we have to find her." Naruto said setting her down gently and rushing up the stairs, Akane and Kyu in tow. After making it all the way up, Naruto ran down the small hallway.

"Kyu, which one is her room?" Naruto asked aggressively.

"That one, on the right." Kyu said running up to a door. Naruto rammed the door as hard as he could, but the door wouldn't budge. He tried once more, only to fail yet again.

"Kioko, open the door!" Naruto said trying to kick the door down again. He paused for a few seconds, but heard nothing from the inside.

"That's it!" Naruto said as he formed a kage buushin and held out his right hand. The clone then began to circulate the chakra in Naruto's hand, as the familiar sphere of wind rotated in his palm.

"RASENGAN!!!" The blonde yelled as he thrust the orb forward, sending it straight into the door. The door exploded and the trio rushed in.

There, standing in the middle of the room, was Daichi, covered in blood and holding the sheath of a katana. Kioko lay pinned against the wall by his katana, the sword stuck through her heart. She had cuts and gashes all over her body.

Right then and there, Naruto lost complete control and went berserk, charging Daichi and pinning him against the wall. Naruto lifted him up by his neck, his fingers wrapping around it.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" The now furious Naruto yelled as he prepared to stick his free hand through Daichi. Daichi just stared at Naruto blankly before answering.

"Justice has finally been served. Through her and Chiyoso's deaths, will my parents be brought back to life." Daichi said without a hint of regret in his voice.

"DAMN YOU, DAICHI. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT BY KILLING ANOTHER, ONE CAN BE BROUGHT BACK?" Naruto yelled as his grip tightened and he slammed Daichi against the wall, leaving a few cracks behind.

"Naruto, calm down. Akane restrain Daichi!" Kyu said coldly as Akane rushed up to the two and separated Naruto from Daichi. She then put Daichi in a neck hold and gave him a sleeper hold, to which he passed out from. Naruto calmed down a bit and walked over to Kioko. He stood in front of her small frame, being held up only by the blade wedged through her heart. Naruto then collapsed in front of her and fell to his knees. He began sobbing hysterically while holding onto the hem of her gray kimono.

"Why did she, who had done nothing wrong, have to die in such a way as this?" Naruto thought solemnly as he stood to his feet in order to remove the katana pierced in her. He noticed that the cursed seal on her neck slowly began to fade away until it was completely gone. Kyu looked on in pity before he spoke up.

"Naruto, there is a way to bring her back." Kyu said.

"What! How?" Naruto asked in surprise. Instead of answering verbally, Kyu walked up to Naruto and put one of his tails onto Naruto's forehead. Instantly, the both of them were transported inside Naruto's mind.

**(Naruto's Subconscious)**

Naruto slowly awoke to find himself before the gigantic cage of the great Kyuubi no Kitsune. He gradually sat up from his lying position and looked blankly at the cell ahead of him.

"It's good to see you awake." Kyu said monotonously.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Naruto asked the little fox.

"I'm not physically in here, gaki, and neither are you. We're here to strike a deal." Kyu said looking at the giant cage. All of a sudden, demonic red eyes then appeared inside of the cage.

"**What do you want, brat**?" Kyuubi asked agitatedly.

"Kyuubi-sama, we request your help. If you could lend us some of you vast power to help revive a human child it would…" Kyu began but was interrupted by the giant demon fox.

"**I am aware of what has taken place. I will grant you your request. The human child may prove useful to me in the future**." The giant kitsune said with a thunderous roar.

"We are extremely grateful, Kyuubi-sama." Kyu said as he did his best to bow. He noticed that Naruto was not bowing, and eyed him expectantly.

"Oh, sorry!" Naruto whispered as he also knelt down in 'reverence'.

"**Now, both of you, get out of my sight**." He said as they both left the seal.

**(Back Outside)**

"Naruto, place your palm over her heart." Kyu said as Naruto did what he was told.

"Now, focus the chakra into her heart." Kyu demanded. Naruto placed both of his hands over her heart and began trying to push Kyuubi's chakra into the little girl. His hands began to glow a reddish hue and the glow spread over the blonde haired girl. At first, it seemed to have no effect, until Naruto started to feel a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Some of the scratches that she had previously earned began to heal.

On the inside of her, the scarlet chakra began to travel all about her chakra system. Some of it went through her bloodstream, repairing any damaged red blood cells along the way.

It traveled all throughout her body, closing all of the stab wounds and healing them at a miraculously fast rate. Some of the chakra managed to arrive at her brain via the bloodstream, and began actually healing the damaged brain cells that had already begun to deteriorate. On the outside, Akane was speechless.

"I can't believe it, it's actually working." Akane said as she looked on in amazement.

"Normally, this wouldn't have worked." Kyu said to her while staring at the recuperating child. "We only succeeded here because she wasn't fully dead. By the time we started, she was still alive, if only hanging on by a thread. If we would have gotten here at least thirty seconds later, she would probably have died."

"How did Naruto meet this girl, anyway?" Akane asked the tiny fox kit beside her.

"It's…a long story. I'll inform you later. But now, let's just focus on this." Kyu said.

After a few minutes of transferring, Kioko began to show signs of life. She opened her bright, blue orbs slowly, and winced a little from the pain she was in. She turned her head slightly and noticed none other than Naruto right next to her, his hands glowing red for some odd reason. For some reason, she felt extremely tired, so she decided a little more sleep wouldn't hurt.

Naruto stopped when he thought she had stabilized. He rubbed his hands gently to get rid of the stinging feeling.

"Hey, I think she's okay now." Naruto said to his two companions as he motioned for them to approach. All of the scratches and cuts she had received were now completely gone. She had a light, but steady breathing rate. But the most interesting thing of all, she had three, faint whisker marks on each of her cheeks, strengthening her resemblance to a female Naruto.

"Come on. We have to go inform somebody of what occurred." Kyu said, to which Naruto and Akane agreed.

**(Later, in Tsunade's Office)**

After explaining to Tsunade, as best they could, what had happened, all four of them sat on a bench outside the fifth hokage's office, waiting patiently for whatever awaited them. Kioko had fallen asleep on Akane's shoulder, considering that it was so late at night, while Kyu rested on the scarlet haired girls lap. Naruto sat right next to Akane in deep thought.

"Naruto, Tsunade-sama would like to see you now." Shizune said as she opened the door to grant him entrance, and closed the door behind him. He stood in front of her desk, waiting for her to speak.

"Shizune," Tsunade asked expectantly. Shizune, getting the hint, then quietly left the room with Tonton following

"We've retrieved Chiyoso's body, and Daichi is being sent straight to Ibiki for interrogation. This is fine mess we have on our hands, now isn't it?" She said.

"That's all well and good, baachan, but that's not what I wanted to ask you about." He said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.

"Then what did you want to know?" She asked putting her elbows on her desk and resting her head on her hands. Naruto took in a deep breath.

"What's going to happen to Kioko now that she has nobody left?" He asked, not daring to make eye contact with her.

"I honestly don't know, Naruto. I couldn't think of an orphanage that would take her, because of…well, you know. I would take her, but with my duties as hokage, it would be impossible." She replied with a hopeless sigh. Naruto clenched his fists.

"Why…Why does a child as young as her have to go through something like this. I never knew my parents, but she was forced to kill them with her own hands. Her brother tried to murder her for something she could not control. And the only one left that really showed even the slightest amount of kindness, Chiyoso-baachan, was brutally murdered at the hands of that so called brother." Naruto said as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"It's always those who have done nothing wrong which are always the ones to suffer for something they had no choice in. Why is it that she was blamed? Surely the only culprit here was that bastard, Orochimaru. But no, it is her who must suffer, who must bear the burden, who must go through life alone. Damn it, why?" Naruto finished as he collapsed onto the ground and cried his eyes out.

Tsunade looked at the blonde shinobi in pity. She slowly got out of her seat and walked towards him. The fifth hokage then jerked him up off of the floor and held him by his collar. She let go and quickly wrapped her arms around him, something that he had not been expecting.

"You know…she reminds me a lot of you, Naruto," Tsunade said in a still, small voice as she began to caress his back in a motherly way. Naruto stifled out a few sniffles before she finally let go. He gave her a warm smile as she returned the favor.

"Baachan, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to adopt Kioko…as my sister." Naruto asked.

"Are you sure, Naruto. Being a big brother is a lot of hard work." She said.

"Of course I'm sure. Please, just let me try. I want to give her the childhood I never had. Having a loving family that will be there for you. As the future hokage, I have to be able to care for this entire village, so why not start now." Naruto said, his resolve strengthening.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll let you have a shot." She said smiling at him.

"Really, thanks baa…I mean, Tsunade-sama." He said as he actually showed respect to her.

"Don't mention it. Now you should go home and get some sleep. We wouldn't want the 'future hokage' to pass out on us tomorrow, now would we." She said in a mocking fashion.

**(Outside of the Hokage Tower)**

Naruto, Kyu, Akane, and Kioko all walked down the empty street, heading towards Naruto's apartment. Kioko was situated on Naruto's back, as he carried her piggy-back style. She slowly awoke to find that she was on his back.

"Naruto-san, where are you taking me?" She asked him quietly still a little bit tired out from the day's events.

"Well, I'm taking you to my house. Oh, and that's Naruto-niichan to you." He said giving her a faint smile.

"But why would I call you that." She asked confused.

"Because he's your new big brother." Kyu pointed out.

"Really, but how." She squealed in delight.

"Well, he adopted you just now." Akane said to her.

"So, now you're officially my little sister, Kioko Uzumaki." Naruto said grinning. Kioko was so happy at that moment that she couldn't find the right words to say. She finally found a brother that loved her. She decided to go back to sleep and rested her head on his shoulder, a contented smile on her face.

"Thank you, Naruto-niichan," She said as she nuzzled into his neck, to which he smiled lightly.

**(Elsewhere…)**

"What the hell was that? I told you not to interfere, Toshi." An angry Hikari told her subordinate.

"Relax, Hikari-sama. I didn't jeopardize the mission in the slightest. If anything, I made it even easier. Now we have two targets instead of one." Toshi responded while giving her a sinister grin.

"Nevermind, Toshi. We failed to bring her in this time. I need you to keep following them. Make sure to find out if they travel out of the country. They will be easy pickings then." She said as she began walking away.

"And where are you going?" He asked suspiciously.

"Just to…tie up some loose ends." She replied vaguely as she disappeared from his sight. As she ran, she began pondering.

"_Don't get too comfortable, Akane. This is far from over_. _Your days are numbered, little fox_."

**(End Chapter Six)**

Man that took forever. I'm trying to get these out as soon as possible without rushing it and forsaking the details. Well anyway, enough rambling. Chapter seven won't be as dark as this one was, well dark for me anyway.

I've always personally liked the idea of Naruto having a little sibling to take care of, but if I try to read one, they just appear out of nowhere and it leaves me wondering where they came from. I tried to include some back-story in this chapter so it didn't feel like that.

Oh yeah, I don't pick the names for these people out of nowhere either. I chose Toshi as a name for that guy because of his ability, since Toshi means 'mirror'. Kioko means 'looks at world with happiness' since she is still a naïve little child. Chiyoso, well I got desperate and I looked it up online, it was a good name for an elderly person. And finally Hikari, well actually, I can't tell you that one right now, or it will ruin something in a later chapter.

Anyway, until next time.


	7. White Eyed Princess

Alright, got chapter seven now. This is more of a filler type than anything, but I hope you still like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter 7: White Eyed Princess**

Akane rolled over in the bed and draped her arms around the person next to her. She then began to cuddle up next to them. She noticed in her sleep that the person had long hair, much longer than her favorite blonde. She slowly opened her eyes to see herself basically squeezing the innocent little girl known as Kioko. She let go quickly and jumped back wildly, startled to see someone other than Naruto.

"_Who the hell is…Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Naruto-kun let her have the bed last night while he slept on the floor_." Akane recalled. Kioko gradually awoke from her slumber and sat up, stifling out a yawn all the while.

"Good morning, Akane-san." Kioko said as she stretched out a bit, trying to work out the kinks from staying still for so long.

"Good morning, Kioko. Did you have pleasant dreams?" Akane asked her as she rubbed her head a little in an awkward fashion, still slightly embarrassed from groping her in such a way, even though Kioko had no idea.

"You bet I did. I had this really cool dream that I was a ninja, and I had to protect this big village from bandits, and I knew all these awesome techniques, and I beat them up really bad." She said flailing about, using gestures to describe it to the scarlet haired vixen.

"_Well she sure has a lot of energy_." Akane thought sarcastically as she sweatdropped. Kioko got out of bed and walked over to Naruto, who was still sleeping like a log at the time.

"HEY, NARUTO-NIICHAN, WAKE UP!!!" Kioko yelled at the top of her lungs as she vaulted off of the bed and straight into Naruto's blanket. Naruto's eyes almost popped out of his head when she landed on his torso with a loud thump.

"KIOKO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!" He screamed as he tried to grab her but she was able to jump off before he could do so.

"Just trying to wake you up, Naruto-niichan." She replied cheekily.

"Couldn't you have just tapped my shoulder or something?" Naruto said rubbing his stomach a little.

"Well, I couldn't. You were snoring so loud that I couldn't even get near you." She said triumphantly, while the blonde shinobi fell over anime style from his sitting position.

"Oh come on, Kioko, I think it's actually kind of cute." Akane said happily.

"Thank you, Akane-chan. Alright, I guess I better go cook breakfast or something." Naruto said getting up and walking towards the kitchen. As soon as he left, Kioko slowly turned her head to face Akane, a grin plastered across her face.

"Aren't we a little fond of Naruto-niichan." Kioko said menacingly.

"I-I don't know what your talking about." Akane retorted with a blush on her face.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him." Kioko said innocently as she walked out of the room, to which Akane sighed in relief. "Yet!" She finished while giving the scarlet haired girl a sinister wink.

"_Such a frightening little girl_." Akane thought as she sweatdropped before exiting the room after her. All she knew was, she better not say anything, or she would be in world of hurt. Shirking that aside, Akane decided to join Naruto, Kyu, and Kioko for breakfast and walked into kitchen where everyone was situated.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Akane asked as she took her seat at the table. For some reason, she felt that he was going to say ramen, counting on the fact that was the only thing Naruto ever bought when he shopped for groceries, but she still had her hopes up for something even remotely different.

"The best thing in the world, ramen!" Naruto answered with his ever famous foxy grin as he gave her a thumbs up.

"_Some things never change_." She thought exasperatedly as she let out a held breath that she didn't even know she had been holding.

All of a sudden, a light tapping was heard in the direction of the front door. Naruto, Akane, and Kyu all looked at the door in shock, recalling what had happened yesterday. Naruto and Akane glanced uneasily at each other, the same thought popping up in both of their heads.

"_Is it them_?"

Naruto slowly rose from his seat and trudged towards the door, the tension in the air so thick, you could burn a hole through it with a Katon Jutsu. The blonde placed an uneasy palm on the handle, turning it ever so slightly. Akane drew a kunai from a hidden place on her person and readied herself for a fight while Kioko looked on in confusion at her two guardians.

"Naruto-niichan, what's going on?" She asked frightened as she began to get up from her chair.

"Kioko, go find a place to hide." Naruto ordered with an authoritative tone. If it really was those two, he didn't want Kioko getting hit in the crossfire. She had already been hurt enough as it was. Kioko walked nervously into Naruto's bedroom, looking over her shoulder at Naruto and Akane, before finally closing the door.

"You ready, Akane-chan." Naruto asked her, to which she replied with a curt nod. Naruto opened the door ever so slightly, drops of sweat falling from his brow. Akane gripped her kunai even tighter and prepared to charge whoever came through that door. Kyu let out small growls as his nine, crimson tails whipped behind him.

"Uzumaki, what is this I hear about…" A burly voice started but was cut off by a deafening shout from the blonde shinobi.

"NOW!!!"

Akane charged blindly at the man in front of her with Kyu in tow. She connected with a full blown tackle and smashed him into the wood flooring of the apartment building. She jumped on top of him, then grabbed his neck with both of her hands and began choking the very life out of him.

"Take this, you asshole. That's for hurting Naruto-kun yesterday!" She yelled as she tightened her grip on the man's neck and commenced with slamming his head against the floor. By this time, the man was completely out cold, his pupils dilated, and he was showing slight hints of concussions and maybe a small contusion.

"Um…Akane-chan." Naruto said softly as a look of pure horror adorned his face.

"Yes, Naruto-kun." She asked innocently as she turned to face him.

"I…don't think this is the guy from yesterday." Naruto said the look of horror still on his face.

"Well…then who is this?" Akane asked him with a confused stare.

"That's…my landlord."

**(Five Minutes Later…) **

Everyone had settled down a bit, after a yelling fit by Naruto's landlord, of course. Attempting to get on the man's good side after Akane brutally attacked him; Naruto invited him in for a cup of tea. They were all situated in Naruto's living room at the present moment, except for said blonde, who was fixing some tea. Once he had finished, he brought it into the room and handed a cup to everyone.

"I really am terribly sorry for attacking you like that!" Akane said as she sounded her apologies for the fifth time that morning. The husky man took a sip of his tea and stared perversely at her out of the corner of his eye. She was currently wearing the light blue, lace night gown that she always wore to bed, and it was currently clinging to her slender frame ever so tightly. Naruto noticed the stare as the same one that his sensei Jiraiya performs every time he sees an attractive female, and also noted that the stare was directed towards Akane's direction.

"_What the hell is he doing staring at my Akane-chan like…Wait, did I just say MY Akane-chan. Oh nevermind that, he needs to keep his eyes to himself, before I rip them out._" Naruto thought as a small dose of jealousy surged through his mind.

"_Man, what a girl, what a girl. Now that's what I'm talking about. I don't know how, but Uzumaki sure has good taste in roommates. I wonder what's under that gown. Man would I love to get a feel of those…"_ The landlord was cut out of his thoughts when he began to choke on the tea he was currently drinking. He began violently coughing as he struggled for a breath of air.

"Um…are you okay?" Akane asked in a concerned tone as she began to pat his back. Once the coughing had stopped, he set the tea on the table and sat back in his chair.

"So…what exactly are you doing here?" Naruto asked in an accusatory tone of voice. It was rather strange that the landlord decided to pay them a 'visit', especially after Naruto had already paid the rent beforehand.

"Well, I came concerning the matter of that hole you made in my apartment building yesterday." He said taking in another sip of his tea.

"What hole?" Kioko asked innocently, confused as to what hole he was talking about since she began living here after Akane had repaired it.

"Something…happened yesterday, Kioko." Naruto said, being as vague as possible.

"Yes and that something blew a hole in my wall. I'm thankful that you took the responsibility of fixing it, but...that's not all I needed to talk to you about Uzumaki." The landlord said solemnly as he calmed down a bit.

"Uzumaki, with incidences like yesterdays happening around my complex, I can't afford to have you stay here."

"But Akane-chan fixed the…." Naruto did his best to try to reason with the man, but to no avail.

"I realize that. But I can't have the other residents in danger. Uzumaki, I saw those two nin yesterday morning and I know that they escaped. What if they come back again? What would happen?" The landlord paused, before continuing on.

"I can't afford to take chances like this. I'm sorry, Uzumaki, but you're…evicted."

"But…But," Akane exclaimed, failing to find the right words.

"I'm not doing this because of a personal matter, but I have to take into consideration the other residents' safety." The man said gravely. It was true that he didn't want to do this, but he had to put the other resident's safety first.

"You can't do this, I…" Akane began before she was stopped by Naruto's still, small voice.

"Akane let it go." Naruto said her as he put a calming hand on shoulder.

"But…Naruto-kun…where will we live?" Akane asked him in despair.

"Don't you worry about it. One way or another, we'll find a way, like we always do." Naruto replied as he gave her his nice guy pose. For some reason, it seemed to cancel out her fears for the present moment. She just assumed that Naruto had that effect on people.

"I truly am sorry, but it's the only way." The landlord said apologetically, not daring to make eye contact with any of them.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I don't hold you accountable, you're simply concerned for the sake of others." Naruto said giving him a small smile. "Come on, everyone, we've got some packing to do." Naruto said as the group of four sauntered into the Kyuubi container's bedroom. The landlord sat in his chair for a few minutes in deep thought.

"_It truly is a horrible reality where the savior of Konohagakure must live without a home_." He thought as he meandered towards the door.

**(Later…)**

"Naruto-niichan, where are we going to live now?" Kioko asked as she struggled to keep a firm grip on the bag she was carrying. They had been walking for a while now and she was beginning to tire out, a change from her usual energetic self. Naruto noticed her fatigue and took her bag from her, handing it to one of the many kage buushin he had created to carry all of their belongings, allowing her to replenish her vivacity.

"That is a good question. Where exactly are we going to live now, Naruto?" Kyu said in an accusatory tone as he quirked an eyebrow, most likely mad at the fact that Naruto left without even putting up a fight. If the fox had been in the blonde's shoes, he would have slaughtered the man, but unfortunately, he was restricted because of his 'compact' form.

"That's one question that I can't answer." Naruto said as he sighed dejectedly. All the times he had been caught in a jam, he had found a way through, but this time he had nothing. Akane stared at the back of his head in pity. Kyu was acting as if this was Naruto's fault. She suddenly thought up an idea that would hopefully raise his spirits.

"Hey, I know. Why don't we go see Tsunade-sama. I'm sure she would have an answer to our problem." Akane said cheerfully.

"That's a great idea, Akane-chan." Naruto said perking up again.

**(Hokage Tower…)**

"Here is the mission report, Tsunade-sama. I am very pleased to say that the mission was an utter success." A dark-haired female announced as she handed the blonde Hokage an assortment of papers and files.

"Thank you, Kurenai. That is very good news to hear, especially after what happened yesterday." Tsunade said, while sighing gloomily as she recalled the events of the day before.

"I heard about that. What ever became of the child?" The crimson-eyed kunoichi queried, curious to know all the information of such a drastic event.

"I placed her under the care of, most likely, the last person that she could ever trust." Tsunade said as she rotated her chair in order to face the window.

"Yes, I was informed of her parents' deaths. I knew her mother very well. A tragic event really." Kurenai said while her head hung low.

"Yes, it is. But…enough of the past. Tell me, how did your former team perform after being brought back together?" Tsunade asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Oh, we kicked ass, Tsunade." Kiba exclaimed rudely as the whole of team eight, sauntered the room. Akamaru, Kiba's faithful canine companion, barked loudly in agreement. Shino and Hinata stood to each side of him, making sure not to make a sound. Then again, when did Shino ever make a sound?

"Kiba, show some respect for the Hokage and for peat's sake, watch your damn language!" Kurenai scolded as she whacked him across the back of his head, which earned a painful yelp from the dog lover. Everyone stared at Kurenai, astounded that she actually lost her usually sincere and impassive demeanor, if only for a moment.

"Oh, sorry!" She said as she blushed in an embarrassed fashion.

"It's alright, Kurenai. After dealing with Naruto for any period of time, you sort of get used to this." She said waving it off. At the mention of the blonde's name, Hinata's head dropped in despair. Kurenai quickly walked over to her and began to whisper in her ear.

"Tsunade-sama, why did you have to go and say that? You know how Hinata gets every time his name is mentioned." She whispered silently as she motioned over to the saddened Hinata. Naruto was still a touchy subject with the Hyuuga heiress. He had been gone for nearly three years now and every day she thought about him. Ever since he left, she had been more reclusive about her emotions.

Kiba and Shino were some of the few who actually new that Hinata had a crush on Naruto, no matter how blatant the subject was, but being the good friends they were, the both of them decided to keep it a secret. But… that didn't mean they are above teasing her about it. Well, for Kiba that is.

"Um…ex-excuse m-me…Tsunade-sama. Y-You…w-w-wouldn't happen t-to k-know when Na-Na-Naruto-kun is r-r-returning, w-would you?" Hinata asked as she twiddled her fingers, avoiding everyone's gaze and blushing wildly. Both Shino and Kiba made a mental smirk as Kiba thought up a way to tease her about said blonde.

"Why would you wan't to know that, Hinata? Is there something you wan't to tell him?" Kiba said playfully as he elbowed her lightly in the shoulder while Kurenai gave him a death glare.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata said surprised as she grasped the hidden meaning behind his sentence while her whole face turned beet red. Tsunade took a page from Kiba's book on teasing Hinata.

"Yes, Hinata, if you have something to tell Naruto, then you should be getting your chance very soon." Tsunade played along as a devilish smirk crossed her face. Everyone in the room turned to her almost immediately.

"Why's that, Tsunade-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"Well, he hasn't come to the hokage tower for a couple of hours so he's about due." She answered sarcastically.

"W-Wait, d-d-does that m-mean…" Hinata stuttered hopefully, before she was silenced by a loud rapping on the door, followed by the entrance of a certain blonde shinobi.

"Hey, Obaa-chan, I need a favor…Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had guests. I'll just wait outside." Naruto said as he turned around and began to exit the room, before he was stopped by a loud shout.

"NARUTO, IS THAT YOU?" Kiba barked as everyone turned their attention towards their unexpected guest. Naruto rotated back around quickly as he quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's me. How's it going, dog breath." Naruto replied, using his nickname for the canine shinobi. He knew he had recognized that voice from somewhere.

"Man, look at you. You're taller than me now." Kiba pointed out as Akamaru leapt onto the Kyuubi container and began licking his face.

"What is his kibble made out of anyway, soldier pills?" Naruto exclaimed at the sheer size of the white-furred dog. He remembered before when he could almost hold Akamaru in the palm of his hand, but now he could probably ride him like a horse.

"_N-Na-Naruto-kun…_" Hinata thought with a huge blush on her face. After three years of being separated, she hadn't expected him to change _this_ much. He had definitely gotten a lot taller and he was a lot more well built. She could see his chiseled muscles through the black t-shirt he was sporting. His skin looked, from what she could tell, very soft and smooth, and there was not a blemish or mark on him. Not only his outward appearance, but his voice changed as well. It was more firm and rugged, but still held onto the soft qualities that she adored. All in all, Hinata couldn't take in all of this at once and promptly fainted, the pale skin on her face taking a dark reddish hue.

Naruto noticed a very attractive girl on the other side of the room falling over and rushed to catch her. He managed to grab hold of her before she hit the floor and held her in his arms. As he held her, he couldn't help but feel that she seemed familiar, but promptly shook it off.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her as he stared straight into her beautiful face. She slowly opened her pale, white eyes to see the man that haunted her dreams everyday for the past three years holding her in his sturdy, muscular arms. Then…the realization hit her.

"_Naruto-kun is holding me, Naruto-kun is holding me, Naruto-kun is…_" It was then that she lost control of her self and jumped up at him, accidentally head butting him in the process. Hinata was able to stand up to her feet but Naruto fell down, out cold.

"_Ah, young love_!" Both Tsunade and Kurenai thought at the sight before them. Kurenai couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

"Oww, that hurt." Naruto muttered as he began to stand to his feet. Just when he was almost there, the door to the office opened up, nailing him in the back of the head, to which he fainted instantaneously.

"Naruto-kun, are you done…Oh, sorry." Akane said as she realized that she had smacked him with the door. She swiftly helped him to his feet and made sure he was fully upright before parting.

"Thanks, Akane-chan." He said as he rubbed the back of his head in agony.

Both Kiba and Shino stared at the sight before them, and what a sight it was. A seemingly fifteen year old girl with long, scarlet hair going down to just below her rear and bright sapphire orbs. Not to mention curves in all the right places, _all _of them. And the sight of her creamy, pale legs almost caused the both of them to have a nosebleed right then and there.

"Hey, my name's Kiba Inazuka, what's yours?" Kiba asked arrogantly as he walked up to her and gave her a wink.

"Kiba quit flirting and line up with the rest of your squad." Kurenai ordered nonchalantly as Kiba reluctantly dragged his feet back to his position.

"Alright, Naruto, what do you want now?" Tsunade asked irritantly as she began to rub her temples.

"Well, you see…" Naruto began as he rubbed the back of his head and gave them a sheepish grin in an embarrassed fashion. "We sort of…got evicted from our apartment."

"And why is that?" Tsunade asked grudgingly.

"Well because of…you know…yesterday morning." Naruto said vaguely, making sure not to reveal anything to the other people in the room. He didn't want them to worry about him something like that. Hinata stared at her longtime crush in concern.

"I see. Well what do you want me to do about it?" She asked. Suddenly, Hinata thought up an idea.

"I-If N-Na-Naruto-kun cannot f-find a place t-to stay, I-I would b-be happy t-to let him st-stay…at our ma-mansion." Hinata suggested making sure to avoid everyone's gaze.

"Really, that would be great, Hinata-chan." Naruto said as he ran up to her and enveloped her in a gigantic hug. It took all of her willpower not to faint but she was able to tough it out.

"I-I'm sure that father wouldn't m-mind g-guests." She said, trying to reassure them.

"You do realize that they won't be able to stay there forever, Hinata. If I know Hiashi, it will probably be only for the night." Tsunade stated as she searched around her desk. "But, I'm sure I can find somewhere for them to live by tomorrow."

"You're the best, Baa-chan. Come on, Hinata-chan, let's go." Naruto said as he grabbed both Hinata's and Akane's hands and led them out of the door. As soon as the three of them were gone, Tsunade smirked.

"And just what's so funny, Tsunade." Kiba asked her.

"Honestly, I could have found Naruto a place to stay in about five minutes. But I figured it would be more interesting this way." Tsunade answered as all of them, including Shino, smirked.

Meanwhile, outside of the hokage tower, Naruto was doing his best to round up the kage buushins that were carrying all of their belongings. To Hinata and Akane, who were standing side by side a little ways away, it was a funny sight and the both of them couldn't help but giggle softly. Kioko and Kyu walked up to Akane and began tugging on her outfit.

"Did Naruto-niichan find us a place to stay Akane-san?" Kioko asked hopefully with bright eyes.

"Well, not exactly. But Hinata-san here, offered her house to us for the night." Akane replied cheekily. Kioko skipped over to Hinata and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you very much, Hinata-sama." Kioko said, doing her best to use etiquette while Kyu jumped off of her shoulder and did his best to perform a bow.

"Your very welcome, but did you call him, Naruto-niichan?" Hinata asked. She was not aware Naruto had any siblings since she was under the assumption that he was an orphan.

"Oh yes, that's my big brother." She said as she ran over to Naruto in an effort to help him get the clones in order. Hinata still had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you later." Akane said as she too walked over to Naruto.

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP. YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO STOP MESSING AROUND AND CARRY OUR STUFF, OR I'LL BEAT THE MESS OUT OF ALL OF YOU. GOT IT!" Kioko shouted at all of the unruly kage buushins. Almost immediately, all of the doppelgangers got in a line and picked up their belongings.

"Thanks Kioko." Naruto said, surprised at how a little girl could install fear like that.

"Your welcome, Naruto-niichan. Can you give me a piggy back ride?" She asked as she made her best puppy dog pout. Naruto couldn't help but comply and let her on his back.

"Alright, let's leave now." Naruto commanded as all of the clones followed behind him in a perfectly straight line. Hinata walked alongside the line, carrying Kyu in her arms and staring at Naruto.

"_Your finally back, Naruto-kun_."

**(Hyuuga Compound)**

After a lot of convincing, Hinata convinced her father to let them stay at their mansion. Just as Tsunade predicted, Hiashi only allowed them to stay the night. Even if only for a night, they had been allowed to stay and Hinata rushed to the waiting group to tell them the good news.

"So what did he say, Hinata-sama?" Kioko asked in her usual high pitched tone.

"He has allowed you to stay, but we only have two rooms available." She replied.

"That's alright, Hinata-chan. That's more than enough room." Naruto stated as he motioned for the clones to follow Hinata.

Hinata began to walk through the gigantic courtyard, followed by Naruto, Akane, Kioko, Kyu, and all of the clones. Kioko looked around at the garden they were passing through. There were flowers and plants of all different colors, and even a few trees that she had never seen before. A large system of fountains really made the garden look beautiful and they had a small pond. It was also decorated with traditional Japanese architecture and even a tiny bit of Chinese design, such as pagodas.

"Wow, Hinata-sama, how did you afford all of this?" Kioko asked as she marveled at all of the gorgeous plants and wildlife.

"My family is a very wealthy one." Hinata responded with a smile.

"Really! Maybe I should call you Hinata-hime from now on." Kioko thought as she ran ahead of the group. She was stopped as she unintentionally ran into a tall, pale man with long black hair and wearing a white robe. The man looked down at her with a scowl, to which Kioko ran back and cowered behind Naruto's leg.

"Um…hello, father." Hinata said uneasily.

"Hinata, when you asked if some of your friends could stay the night, I wasn't expecting twenty." Hiashi said in his usual emotionless voice as he peered at the golden haired doppelgangers.

"Oh no, father. There are only three. The others are kage buushin." Hinata explained while Kyu crawled from her arms to her shoulder.

"I…see." He replied as the herd of Naruto doppelgangers crossed in front of him. "That's enough, I will have branch members escort your belongings to your rooms." He commanded. At that moment, all of the clones dropped the bags that they were holding and dispersed in a cloud of smoke.

"Hinata, please escort them to their rooms." Hiashi ordered in a soft tone as he walked away.

"Yes, father. If you will, please follow me." Hinata asked as she also walked into the building, signaling for them to follow. Naruto was the first to act as he walked right behind her, followed by Kioko who was still holding onto him and Akane who strolled to his right.

The inside of the compound was just as lavish as the outside, if not more. There were white walls all around, following the Hyuuga's obvious love for the color, decorated with various gold ornaments and markings. A random assortment of paintings adorned the walls, mostly pictures of random Hyuuga members and possibly clan heads. Even the floor was built with the finest wood money could buy. It shined with a luster that almost made a diamond look jealous.

"Wow, you Hyuuga's go all out, don't you." Akane stated as she stared in awe at the mansion.

"Yes, f-father doesn't k-know the meaning of the w-word 'contemporary'." Hinata replied with a shy smile. After they had passed a few more hallways, the group had finally arrived at the guests rooms.

"Well, h-here w-we are." Hinata said as she opened the door to one of the rooms. The inside was just as decorated as the halls. The walls and floors still held that same luster. Even the king sized bed seemed to sparkle. In the corner were a pure white desk and some tools for writing a letter.

"Wow, this is amazing. Come on, Naruto-kun." Akane said as she grabbed Naruto and began to drag him inside the room.

"W-W-Wait, what are y-you doing?" Hinata asked, fearing the worst.

"Well we have to get situated in our new room don't we?" She said while winking at her.

Hinata immediately went into panic mode.

"_I can't let her and Naruto-kun share a room_." She thought as she searched for a way to stop her.

"But, Akane-san, y-your r-room is over h-here. Men and women who are unmarried are forbidden to share the same room in our house." Hinata stated, feeling proud of herself for coming up with such a good lie. She didn't want to lie, but it was the only way to keep her Naruto-kun away from her.

"Really, that's too bad. I guess it can't be helped, come on Kioko." Akane said as she shrugged her shoulders. She walked past Hinata and gave her a look that said 'I'm watching you', before finally heading into the other room.

"_Whew, that was close. I can't even imagine what could have happened if she shared the same room with Naruto-kun_." Hinata sighed mentally as she envisioned them sleeping in the same bed and Akane snuggling up to him.

"And t-this is your r-room, N-Na-Naruto-kun." She said as she opened the other door to reveal a room of the same caliber.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan." Naruto said as he rocketed straight for the king sized bed and plopped down on it. He patted the bed, motioning for her to sit down.

"I'm really grateful for letting us stay here with you." Naruto said as he gave her a warm smile.

"Y-Your welcome, N-Na-Naruto-kun. W-What kind of f-friend would I b-be if I l-left you w-wi-without a h-home." She stuttered, averting her gaze to the wall beside them and blushing up a storm.

"Still, I can't help but feel that I should repay you for it somehow." Naruto told her.

"No, Naruto-kun. It's the least I could do for someone I care for." Hinata blurted out. She then realized exactly what she had said as she turned away from his, her face turning one of the darkest shades of crimson. Naruto also began to blush as well.

"Um…thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head in an awkward fashion. Naruto stared at the Hyuuga heiress intently. He had to admit, she was rather beautiful, and being that she was so shy, it kind of made her even more adorable. Not to mention she had curves in all the right places, but she always wore loose fitting clothing that hid those very same curves from everyone.

"You know, Hinata-chan, you're very cute when you blush like that." Naruto spoke absentmindedly. Hinata immediately turned to face her blonde crush, staring him straight in his dazzling, cerulean orbs.

"_Naruto-kun thinks I'm cute, Naruto-kun thinks I'm cute_," Hinata thought as her heart began to beat out of control. That is…until she fell forward and fainted. Naruto caught her before she hit the floor and gently laid her onto the guest bed. He noticed that not only was her face red, but she had a blissful smile as well. Naruto prepared to leave, but decided to do one last thing first. With one fluid motion, he gently pecked her cheek and walked out of the door. He looked back at the door one last time while smirking.

"_Yeah... very cute_." He thought with a smile.

"Naruto-kun, where are you going?" Akane asked as she exited her room and walked towards him.

"Oh, I was just about to check out the rest of the house. Do you want to come?" Naruto asked.

"Sure, come on, Kioko." Akane said as she motioned for Kioko to follow her, who then jumped onto Naruto's back, begging for a piggyback ride. He, once again, couldn't help but give her one. He didn't want to, but something inside him kept him from saying no. He supposed his big brother instincts were finally kicking in.

They walked down the hall together, Kioko gripping tighter onto Naruto and egging him on to go faster, to which he declined. In the distance, Naruto could hear the sound of someone in battle, signaled by the various punching and kicking sounds as well as the clatter of an assortment of weapons being tossed. He figured someone was training and immediately headed over to where the sounds were coming from.

He entered the training yard via a sliding door, and looked around to see no one around.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Naruto heard a voice yell as he saw someone flying through the air at him. Reacting quickly, he ducked, the person's attack missing him and Kioko by only a few centimeters. The person's foot just barely scraped off a few hairs of one of Kioko's pigtails. The person then slammed into the wall behind them, leaving a rather large hole. The mysterious attacker, who was wearing green spandex, then ricocheted back at the blonde shinobi, stopping right next to him and throwing a fist into the air.

"NARUTO-KUN, YOU HAVE ONCE AGAIN BEEN ABLE TO DODGE ONE OF MY MOST POWERFUL KICKS. THAT MEANS THAT I MUST NOW DO ONE THOUSAND…" The person was cut off as a fist connected with his face, sending him right back into the hole he had created with his previous kick.

"Lee, must you do that every time?" A tanned kunoichi with two buns on her head said as she cracked her knuckles. "Sorry about that, he gets very excited when…Naruto-kun, is that you?" She asked in disbelief at seeing the blonde ninja.

"Oh, hey Ten-chan." Naruto said as he rose from his squatting position and let Kioko off of his back.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in confusion.

"Well, I sort of got kicked out of my apartment and I needed a place to stay, so Hinata-chan allowed me to stay with her for the night." Naruto explained. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, our squad's having a practice session that Neji-kun organized." She responded. She looked down to see Kioko clinging onto Naruto's jacket. "Who's the kid?"

"Well, you see…she's my sister." Naruto answered rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly.

"Really. Now that you mention it, she does look sort of like you." Tenten stated as she eyed Kioko suspiciously. "Hi, what's your name?"

"My name is Kioko." She said shyly as she hid behind Naruto and gripped his jacket.

"That's a cute name for a little girl. My name is Tenten." She said holding out her hand. Kioko walked out from behind her brother and shook Tenten's hand.

"Tenten-san is really pretty, Naruto-niichan. You should date her." Kioko said innocently. Both Tenten and Naruto's face flared up while Akane looked on in jealousy.

"That's enough Kioko; let's not give him any ideas." Akane said as she covered the little girl's mouth and dragged her off, while Naruto and Tenten sweatdropped.

"It is nice to see you again, Naruto-sama." A familiar, emotionless voice stated as it made its presence known.

"Neji, the formalities aren't necessary. Just call me Naruto." Naruto said to him, wondering if it was possible for one second for Neji to be casual.

"As you wish, Naruto-sama." Neji replied as Naruto just grunted in annoyance.

"Neji-san, it is time for dinner. Please report to the dining hall." A branch member said as he approached the group. He then began to leave before turning back around.

"Also, make sure that our guests are dressed properly for the occasion." His final words were as he made his way out of the area.

"Naruto-sama, please follow me. It would be unwise to be late to dinner." Neji said as he began to walk away.

"But I don't have any robes. I'm not exactly made of money." Naruto stated.

"Do not worry; I have plenty of extra garments for such an occasion." Neji replied. "Tenten, I trust you know where to find the appropriate clothing for Akane-sama and little Kioko."

"Oh, yeah, I know. Hinata showed me once." She confirmed.

"Very well, we will see you at dinner." Neji said as he sauntered away.

"Wait, what about Lee?" Naruto asked as he looked around for the so called 'Green Beast of Konoha'."

**(Hyuuga Dining Hall)**

"No wonder I never bought robes. Couldn't you have found something in orange?" Naruto whined as he stared at the black robe that Neji had loaned him.

"I'm terribly sorry, Naruto-sama. On such short notice, it was the only thing I could find that even remotely fit you." Neji apologized as they strolled along the hallway that led to the dining hall. While it was the closest thing that fit Naruto, the pitch black robe was still slightly too loose, barely hanging onto Naruto's shoulders and showing a little bit of Naruto's pecks.

"I guess it's alright. But if I want to ever have dinner with your clan again, I'll probably need to wear one that doesn't try to jump off of me." Naruto stated sarcastically.

"Don't be so down, Naruto-kun, black is not a bad color. But it is not as stylish or youthful as green." Lee said giving his nice guy pose. He was sporting a green robe held together by a red sash.

"Hey, Naruto-niichan." Kioko said as she caught up with Neji, Lee, and Naruto. She was wearing a pure white kimono, similar to what all of the other Hyuuga girls would be wearing and her hair was let down out of its usual pigtails. She was accompanied by a one-tailed Kyu, who was sitting comfortably on her right shoulder.

"Hey, Kioko, you let your hair down." Naruto as he knelt down to her level and ruffled her hair a bit.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. How do we look?" Both Tenten and Akane questioned as they stepped out into view, hiding their faces behind fans. Akane sported a black kimono that was dotted with red flower designs. A black flower was tucked so neatly above her right ear. Tenten wore a similar outfit, consisting of the light blue kimono that Naruto had purchased for her at the store. Needless to say, Naruto almost went into cardiac arrest while Lee fell over, blood spurting out of his nose. Neji remained relatively calm, but his eyebrows were twitching slightly.

"See, Akane-san, I told you they were perverts." Tenten remarked playfully as she fanned herself with her matching fan.

"I AM NOT A PERVERT!!!" Naruto yelled as he suddenly came out of his state of shock. Lee remained on the floor, body still twitching while he muttered something about Tenten being unyouthful.

"Let us continue. It would not be in our best interest to anger Hiashi-sama." Neji stated impassively as he turned back around and preceded the walk towards the dining hall.

"Come on, Naruto-kun." Akane ordered as she hoisted him up by the hem of his robe while Tenten did the same with Lee.

"Wait, what about Hinata-chan?" Naruto queried as he looked around to see no sign of her.

"If I know her, she should already be in her seat." Neji blankly said as he opened the door to the dining hall.

As soon as the door was opened, Naruto couldn't help but freeze up at the sight. There, in front of him, were about one hundred fifty Hyuuga main and branch family members all seated around three long tables. The room itself was enormous, decorated with traditional Japanese ornaments. Neji began to walk to the left side of the room. Naruto was about to follow him when he was stopped by an unknown Hyuuga member.

"All main family members and guests report to the right side, branch members are to report to the left." The man said before walking off and heading towards his respective side. The group proceeded to follow the man's directions; Neji walking to the left, while the rest of them proceeded to walk to the right. Naruto couldn't help but steal a glance at Neji, who wouldn't be able to dine with them. He turned back around to spot Hinata, who was currently seated on the right side of her father while Hanabi, her younger sister, was seated on the left. Next to them were five empty cushions for them to sit down on. Naruto sat right next to Hinata, with Akane on his left. On the other side of the table, Kioko positioned herself next to Hanabi, with Tenten and Lee taking the remaining two spaces.

After a few minutes, the banquet began and everyone began to feast. Naruto, who had learned the proper way to dine during his trip with Jiraiya, began to exhibit the best of etiquette as they all began to feast. Needless to say, Hinata, Akane, Tenten, and Lee were very surprised, Hinata most of all. She had expected him to stuff his face, but he had done the exact opposite.

"_Naruto-kun, once again you have bested me with your excellent table manners. I shall do my best to surpass you_." Lee thought as he carefully ate, making sure not to make a mess. By this time, the entire banquet hall was buzzing with conversation and most eyes were on the Kyuubi container. Female eyes, that is. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto caught some of the adolescent Hyuuga girls staring at him intently with blushes on their faces. Naruto thought that maybe he had something on his face, so he took a cloth and gently wiped his mouth. He then gave them his patented foxy grin, which made them blush even harder as a few dreamy sighs escaped their mouths.

"So, N-Na-Naruto-kun. D-Did you learn a-an-anything…new on y-your trip?" Hinata asked, doing her best to start a conversation with her crush.

"You bet I did, Hinata-chan. I have to say, when we first left, I thought Ero-sennin was just going to fool around. Boy was I wrong. He worked me and pushed me to my limit everyday. But, enough about me. What have you been at?" Naruto asked her as he brought some rice up to his mouth.

"Well…I've b-been promoted t-to Chuunin." She stuttered out as she avoided his gaze.

"Really, that's great, Hinata-chan. I always knew you were an excellent ninja." Naruto remarked reassuringly as he gave her his foxy grin.

"Isn't N-Na-Naruto-kun still a g-genin?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, but I'm going to change that soon. Me, Akane-chan, and Sakura-chan are going to take the Chuunin exams." Naruto replied.

"W-Wait, Akane-san is o-on y-y-your t-team?" Hinata asked as she peered over his shoulder to look at her.

"Yeah, she took the empty spot. She lives with me to." Naruto replied, not realizing the shock that it gave Hinata.

"_Akane-san lives in the same place as Naruto-kun! But…I have no need to worry. Naruto-kun wouldn't try anything, would he_?" Hinata thought intently.

Naruto was too busy glancing over at Neji to notice Hinata's peril. Neji didn't exactly seem like he was having a pleasant dinner. Honestly, Neji had really hoped to be able to sit with the rest of them, but he knew that it wouldn't be possible.

"Hey, Hinata-chan. Why isn't Neji allowed to sit with us?" Naruto asked, concerned for the long haired Hyuuga. Hiashi, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up after hearing the blonde's question.

"Because…Neji is not of the main family. He is part of the branch family, and the main and branch families may not dine together." The Hyuuga head coldly stated as he took a sip of his tea.

"So just because he was born at the wrong time makes him less of a person?" Naruto asked angrily as he clenched his fists.

"Please understand, Uzumaki-sama. I do not like it anymore than you do, but we must abide by the rules of our ancestors. Even if we had forsaken the rules for just tonight to allow Neji to dine at the main table, then by right, all branch members should be able to dine at the main table." Hiashi finished in a monotonous tone. Naruto let it sink in for a minute before he thought up an idea.

"Fine, then I'll go sit with him." Naruto said as he rose from his place and walked over to the table where Neji was seated. He attracted a lot of attention with the little stunt he just pulled, mostly from the members of the branch family. It was rare, if at all, that someone would choose to feast at their table when they could have the luxury that the main table offered.

"Hello, Neji. Do you mind if I sit here?" Naruto asked sarcastically as he took a seat next to the normally impassive Hyuuga, who was currently taking a small sip of his tea.

"Naruto-sama…what are you doing over here." Neji asked in surprise. Almost every head at the branch table turned towards the blonde shinobi.

"Well, I thought that I would enjoy a nice dinner with my favorite Hyuuga, next to Hinata-chan of course. Besides, the other side is way too stuck up for me. I prefer it over here with all of you." Naruto remarked jokingly as he took an apple out of a nearby fruit bowl and began to munch on it. Neji stared at him with a perplexed expression before going back to his meal, a sincere smirk on his face.

"As you wish…Naruto," said Neji as a comfortable silence reigned over the two of them. Naruto smiled as Neji said that, thankful that he finally denounced the formalities. The rest of the branch members looked on in awe at the boy before pleasantly resuming their meals and conversing amongst themselves.

"What's with that boy? Who would want to sit over here?" One branch member asked.

"At least someone appreciates us." Another branch male replied.

"That blonde haired guy is so hot. Did you see his body?" A couple of the teenage branch females said to each other.

"Hey, Naruto-kun." Akane said perkily as she took a seat next to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, your youth burns brighter than the hottest star. But I cannot sit here and let you have all the glory now can I?" Lee exclaimed as he took a seat on the other side of Akane.

"What kind of friend would I be if I left you here all alone, Neji-kun?" Tenten remarked as she seated herself on the other side of Neji.

"Naruto-niichan, it's boring over there. I'd rather sit over here with all of you." Kioko commented as she leapt onto Naruto's lap and snuggled up against him, Kyu resting in the crook of her neck. To say that Neji was surprised was certainly an understatement. They had given all of that up and risked angering the clan heads just to have a shoddy meal with mostly distant Hyuuga. If Neji could show any other sign of happiness other than a confident or all-knowing smirk he would, but sadly, he had been trained at a very early age to forsake those kinds of emotions. He was erupted from his musings by a very familiar voice.

"N-Neji-san, w-would it…b-be alright i-if…I j-join y-you?" Hinata asked as she began to play with her fingers. Neji stared at her oddly for a moment, which gave Hinata the assumption that she wasn't welcome. She turned around, only to be stopped by that firm but cold voice.

"I would be honored if you would grace me with your presence, Hinata-sama." Neji said as he took another sip of his tea. Hinata's face lit up with happiness as he took a seat on the other side of the table.

"This is an abomination. A main family member dining with a branch member is out of the question. Hiashi, I demand you do something this instant." One of the elders demanded as he slammed his fist against the table.

"No!" Hiashi simply stated as he continued to consume his food with proper etiquette.

"But…Hiashi-sama!" The man exclaimed as he tried to reason with him. Hiashi gazed at him with an unyielding stare.

"I refuse." Hiashi said again as his gaze shifted to the seven of them. "They are simply doing what we Hyuuga ought to have done in the first place." Hiashi paused, before continuing on.

"Treat them as what they are…family."

**(Later…)**

"Wow, what an interesting dinner, huh Kyu?" Naruto asked the fox on his shoulder as he walked down a hall, searching for his room.

"I still can't believe you gave up all of that delicious food that main table had." Kyu remarked as his tiny stomach erupted with a roaring growl.

"You know, there are a lot more important things in life then just food." Naruto said sweatdropping at the noise Kyu's stomach made.

"Yes, because that means a lot coming from you, ramen boy." Kyu replied in a sarcastic tone. Naruto just ignored him and kept walking. He turned down another hallway, spotting Neji on the other side.

"Greetings, Naruto-sama." Neji said with a bow.

"Oh…hey, Neji. _And just when I thought that had gotten through to him on the whole formality thing_." Naruto thought as he sighed in defeat, before returning to his usual character. He guessed there are some things that never change. "Is there somewhere that I could…you know…go to relax?" Naruto asked.

"Well, there is the onsen. One can usually find relaxation there and I doubt there would be many people present." Neji replied. Hyuuga's weren't exactly the type of people to relax, as they constantly had to keep up their image.

"That's perfect. I haven't been to an onsen in a while. Well, except for those times where ero-sennin decided to go peeking, but those don't count." Naruto said recalling the misadventures of his perverted sensei.

"It's just right down the hall, if you're interested, Naruto-sama." Neji commented as he pointed towards the same direction.

"Thanks, Neji. Would you like to join me?" Naruto asked him as he began to walk off.

"I am terribly sorry, Naruto-sama, but I have other matters to attend to at this time." Neji replied as he gave him curt bow.

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you later." said Naruto as he walked towards the direction of the onsen. As soon as he reached it, he slid open the door and strolled in carefully. He looked around every which way but found no one in his presence.

"_Does anybody in this family ever relax_?" Naruto thought, removing his garments and wrapping a fresh towel around his waist. As he began to remove his boots, he heard a faint, splashing noise coming from the water.

"_Maybe there's someone here after all_." Naruto walked silently outside to see where the sound was coming from. His eyes rested on a tall, slender girl with a large but still appropriately proportioned bust, dancing about on the surface of the spring. With every movement she made, she seemed to manipulate the water as it wrapped around her when she moved her arms in different directions. Her face was hidden from his view, thanks to the darkness of night, but the light from the full moon seemed to reflect off the surface of the water, faintly showing the more defined features of her body. Naruto looked on, paralyzed by her beauty, as she made a pirouette, the water encircling her in swirls. Kyu was not immune to the effects of this mysterious vixen, as his eyes remained locked onto her silhouette.

"_It's strange, but I can't help but feel that I've seen her somewhere before_." The blonde shinobi thought as his eyes followed her form. He did his best to recall seeing her, when his thoughts rested on that one incident.

"_Wait, that's that girl from the waterfall_." Naruto stated in his mind as the events from the Bikochou mission began to circulate through his head. This dazzling girl in front of him looked and moved just as that girl did. He took a small step towards her, but made a larger sound than he intended to. The resulting splash alerted the girl to his presence. Naruto made a break for it, before she could clearly recognize him, sprinting back into the wooden room. Performing a henge, Naruto transformed into the ever innocent Kyu, while the real Kyuubi personality dashed back to their room.

Naruto could hear the silent steps of the girl approaching the onsen doorway. He shut his eyes, praying that she would fall for the henge. She stepped into the room, a towel draped tightly around her slender frame. Naruto opened his eyes ever so slowly to check if she had left, only to see…

"_Hinata-chan? That was Hinata-chan at the waterfall_?" Naruto thought as he blinked a few times in surprise and let out a muffled noise. Hinata's ears picked up the noise as she frantically searched the room for the 'peeping tom', before finally noticing the transformed Naruto.

"Oh, Kyu-kun, that was just you. Silly me." She said as she picked him up and set him on her shoulder. Naruto went into a state of bliss as he curled up into Hinata's neck.

"_Her skin is so soft and smooth and she smells really good to_." Naruto thought as he began to situate himself on her shoulder.

"Oh, I have to change first. Can't go walking around in just a towel." Hinata stated in her usual tone of voice as she set him back down and began to remove the towel. Immediately, Naruto performed a one-eighty, turning fully around and sweating bullets.

"_Damn it, Ero-sennin. The next time I see you, you're getting a rasengan up your ass_." Naruto thought as he fought with all of his willpower to not turn around and see Hinata in all of her glory.

"Alright, Kyu-kun, let's go find Naruto-kun. I bet he's looking everywhere for you." She said, once again picking him up and setting him on her shoulder. Naruto froze in horror. How were they supposed to find Naruto when he was sitting on her shoulder? And he couldn't just dispel the henge; otherwise Hinata would have caught him in the act.

"_Alright, Naruto, calm down. Just play it cool until she gets distracted, then, form a kage buushin and pray to Kami she falls for it._" Naruto thought as Hinata proceeded to walk out of the onsen and through the hallway.

"You know, Kyu-kun, I'm very glad that Naruto-kun took me up on my offer." She said, playing with her fingers all the while. Naruto listened intently to what she had to say.

"I felt really sorry for him when I heard that he was evicted from his apartment. Naruto-kun is one of my most precious people; I couldn't let him go without a place to sleep." Hinata stated as she smiled at the disguised blonde.

"Naruto-kun is the one who makes me want to push myself every day. He's always so headstrong and brave…I want to be like him. Be able to stand up for what I believe in. Never back down when things get rough…Not be afraid to tell someone you love them." Hinata spoke the last part in a hushed tone, which Naruto was barely able to catch.

"_I wonder who she was talking about when she said tell someone you love them_." Naruto thought as he cuddled deeper into Hinata's shoulder.

"I'm sorry…I'm boring you aren't I?" Hinata asked the fox on her shoulder.

"_That's weird. Hinata-chan isn't stuttering when she talks_." Naruto noticed as he listened to the dark-haired girl.

"It's just, I can't help but feel indebted to him for making me a better person." Hinata continued blushing slightly as she began to twiddle her fingers. But her next comment would support the biggest blush of all from the white-eyed beauty.

"I suppose you could say that I…I…" Hinata began before she was cut off by a loud sound.

"Kyu, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't ever run off like that again." A blonde haired, blue eyed shinobi said. Naruto, disguised as Kyu and confused as ever, jumped to the boy and onto his shoulder.

"N-Na-Naruto-kun, K-Kyu-kun and I w-were j-just looking f-for you." Hinata said, reverting back to stuttering.

"Thanks, Hinata. I owe you one. Wow, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow." The blonde boy said as he turned around and ran straight for his room, carrying the transformed Naruto in his arms and leaving a bewildered Hinata standing in the hallway.

Upon entering, he shut the door quickly before finally letting the henge Naruto onto the floor. Once on solid ground, Naruto dispelled the henge, regressing to his normal form. After brushing his clothes off with his hands, he looked the other Naruto straight in the eyes.

"Alright, who are you?" Naruto asked. The other Naruto then dispelled himself to reveal Kioko, with Kyu on top of her head.

"What the hell is going on?" was all Naruto asked.

"Well after I left in order for you to accurately pose as me, I found Kioko roaming the halls. I assumed Hinata would find you eventually, so, using a combined henge with Kioko, I rescued you." Kyu explained.

"I have to admit, that was actually a solid plan." Naruto stated as he scratched Kyu behind the ears for a job well done.

"Yes, it was. But I wouldn't have had to come up with it, if you would have run off in the first place and left me there instead." Kyu said agitatedly.

"Now that you mention it, that probably would have made more sense than for me to pose as you." Naruto replied.

"_Sometimes, I wonder how in the world you make it through the day_." Kyu thought as he stared at Naruto while sweatdropping. The blonde could be really smart at times, and at others, he was a complete idiot.

"Did you see that, Naruto-niichan? I did my first henge. Well…Kyu-kun did all of the work, but I still did it." Kioko remarked happily as she set Kyu on Naruto's shoulder and danced around the room in a goofy fashion.

"Actually, all of the chakra for the technique came from her; all I did was show her the handsign. She has remarkable stamina and chakra control for someone at such a young age. I wouldn't be surprised if they let her in the academy now." Kyu stated as he rested upon Naruto's shoulder.

"Really, well I guess we'll save that for another time. Come on, Kioko, you have to go to bed now." Naruto said as he carried Kioko bridal style out of his room and set her down in front of Akane's bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Kioko. Tell Akane-chan that I said goodnight." Naruto said as he bent down and laid a light peck on her left cheek, which caused her to giggle.

"I will. Goodnight, Naruto-niichan." Kioko said as she gave him a final farewell for the night. Naruto walked back into his room with a satisfied smirk on his face, but left the door open a crack. He undressed very quickly and finally lay his head down to sleep.

**(The Next Morning)**

Naruto's eyes opened ever so slowly, taking in the sight around them. He noticed Kyu, curled up in a pillow on the floor. The blonde decided it was probably time to wake the little fox up. They had to see Tsunade today to find out where they would permanently live. He attempted to rise from his lying position when he was pulled down by a pair of tight but soft and delicate hands. At first, he imagined that it was Akane, but remembered that she had slept in the room next to theirs. He turned his head to see none other than…

"_Why is Hinata-chan in my bed_?"

As soon as he had thought that, Naruto heard a soft but firm rapping on his door.

"Hinata-niichan, are you in here?" Hanabi's voice rang out from the other side of the door. "I'm coming in."

"Yeah, Kami is a woman alright!"

**End Chapter Seven**

Sorry if that took too long. It took me forever to get a basic idea for this chapter, and I hope you all like it. As with every writer, you always feel like you could have added or changed something in a chapter or story. I'm rambling again aren't I?

I wasn't exactly sure about how the Hyuuga system works and I've never actually seen the entire Hyuuga compound in the anime, but I did my best. Also, I hinted at something somewhere in the second half of the chapter. It wasn't exactly a BIG hint, but it's there. You might have to search a little bit for it. And if you manage to find it, it reveals something about Kioko.

Anyway, I hope this chapter satisfies you guys and girls until next time.


	8. Settling In

Whew, sorry for the wait guys, I hit a snag in my writing. Damn plot bunnies. I really wish I had the ability to update every couple of days, but I'm sort of slow when it comes to writing.

This wasn't exactly my best chapter and it screams filler, but I stumbled upon the dreaded disease called writer's block. I have mostly everything after this planned out, I just need to get this out of the way.

Oh, and don't expect an update very soon. I have to go to camp sometime this week and it's about a little more than a week long.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi talking**

"Blah" Inner Sakura talking

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter 8: Settling In**

Naruto's eyes opened ever so slowly, taking in the sight around them. He noticed Kyu, curled up in a pillow on the floor, rolling over softly in his sleep. The blonde decided it was probably time to wake the little fox up. They had to see Tsunade today to find out where they would permanently live. He attempted to rise from his lying position when he was pulled down by a pair of tight but soft and delicate hands. At first, he imagined that it was Akane, but remembered that she had slept in the room next to theirs. He turned his head to see none other than…

"_Why is Hinata-chan in my bed_?"

As soon as he had thought that, Naruto heard a soft but firm rapping on his door.

"Hinata-neechan, are you in here?" Hanabi's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

"_Yeah, Kami is a woman alright_!" Naruto thought sarcastically as an anime sweatdrop rolled down his head. Nothing ever seemed to go right for him.

"Hinata-neechan!!!" Hanabi called out once more as she began to fidget with the lock on the door, not quite managing to unlock it yet.

"_Shit_!" Naruto thought as he checked the situation. Hinata was asleep, in his bed, in nothing but the garments she wore to sleep. How she got there was something that he'd figure out later, after he had convinced Hanabi to leave. If Hanabi had caught Hinata in his room, who knows what she would think.

"Hinata…Hinata…wake up." Naruto said as he began to shake her as best he could without harming her. After realizing that she wasn't exactly a 'light sleeper', he rushed over to Kyu, hoping the little fox could help him in any way.

"Kyu…Kyu, wake the hell up, damn it." Naruto whispered as he grasped the fox by the neck and began to strangle him.

"What do you want, Naruto." Kyu asked gruffly. He did not like to be woken up from his cat…fox naps. That's right, he did not say cat.

"Okay, long story short. Hinata-chan is in my bed; her kid sister is pounding on the door…" Naruto began before he was interrupted by another loud rapping.

"Hinata-neechan, if you're in here, open the door." Hanabi said once more.

"And if I get caught, best case scenario, we die." Naruto finished hastily.

"How about trying to wake her up, dumbass." Kyu said sarcastically.

"I already tried that, baka neko. If you help me out, I'll buy you all the ramen you can eat." Naruto bargained, using the fox's own weakness against him.

"Deal, I'll wake her up and figure something out. You, stall for time. I don't care how you do it, just do it." Kyu ordered as he rushed over to the sleeping Hinata while Naruto prepared to stall the younger Hyuuga as much as he could.

**(Out in the hall)**

"Hello, Hanabi-chan." Naruto said very awkwardly as he began to fully step out into the hall.

"Greetings, Naruto-sama. Have you seen…?" Hanabi stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Naruto in all his manly glory. For decency alone, Naruto chose to sleep in a t-shirt for the night, since he was at a friend's house. His perfectly toned abs where very defined through his white t-shirt; his muscular, sinewy arms that bulged out but not in the body builder sense; his strapping leg muscles without an ounce of baby fat on them; and his blemish-free, tan face and golden blonde hair that were to die for. Everything about him screamed one word and one word only…

"_HOT_!!!"

"Have you seen Hinata-neechan, Naruto-_kun_?" Hanabi asked, stressing the 'kun' as much as possible as she began to inch closer to him in a seductive manner. She, unlike her sister, wasn't afraid to make advances on someone she found attractive.

"N-N-Not…R-Re-Recentl-ly," Naruto stuttered out as Hanabi walked up to him and began to draw circles on his chest, praying to Kami, who he was dead sure was a woman, that she would not activate her Byakugan.

"Really?" Hanabi asked with a sly grin on her face. "Because, she's not in her room, I've already searched all of the other rooms where she would be, and yours is the last room left."

"She's not?" Naruto asked, faking innocence. "_What the hell is that fox doing_?"

**(Naruto's room)**

"_Alright, trying to inflict physical damage does not wake this girl up. Maybe... if I send a pulse of chakra to her brain, it might jump start her to where she'll wake up_." Kyu thought as he gently placed a palm on the Hyuuga heiress's head. The one tail that he always kept visible then split into nine separate tails, all of them glowing with a red aura. In one quick burst, he sent a little bit of chakra into her head.

Immediately, Hinata jolted up, throwing Kyu off of her. She was having the nicest dream about Naruto when she just had to wake up. She rubbed her eyes a little in order to clear her vision when she saw Kyu sitting on her lap.

"Hello, Kyu-kun." Hinata said as she patted his head and stifled out a yawn. "What are you doing in my room?" Kyu simply gave her a small meow. She looked around at her surroundings very carefully, noticing that nothing in the room seemed very familiar.

"Wait, I must be in Naruto-kun's room." She deduced while Kyu nodded his head in agreement. "But…who's that talking outside the door?" Hinata wondered as she listened in on them.

"Now, now, Hanabi-chan. Let's not do anything rash. Why would Hinata-chan be in my room?" A male voice said beyond the other side of the door.

"_That sounds like Naruto-kun. And…did he say Hanabi-chan_?" She thought as she ran towards the door and opened it.

**(Back in the Hall)**

"Now, now, Hanabi-chan. Let's not do anything rash. Why would Hinata-chan be in my room?" Naruto said as Hanabi eyed him seductively. He began to back away from her, eventually hitting the wall next to the door.

"So, are you going to tell me where my sister is or am I going to have to…Hinata, there you are." Hanabi exclaimed, happy yet annoyed to see her sister. She had Naruto all to herself, then she had to come.

"H-Hello, Hanabi, N-Na-Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered.

"What exactly were you doing in Naruto-kun's room?" Hanabi questioned while staring at her suspiciously.

"O-Oh, I-I w-was j-just…h-helping N-Na-Naruto-kun gather h-his things." Hinata lied, hoping that she would fall for it. She knew full well what would happen to Naruto if she was caught in his room. Hanabi could tell she was lying, but decided to play along with it.

"Helping him or not, you were still in his room, and there will be consequences." Hanabi replied. Both Naruto and Hinata sighed in defeat. Naruto was screwed for sure now.

"Unless…" Hanabi added with a sly smirk as she gave a seductive wink at the blonde Adonis. Naruto and Hinata perked their ears at hearing a sign of hope, but then Hinata remembered that it was Hanabi. Everything with her younger sibling always had a catch, and not a good one at that.

"U-Unless…w-w-what?" Hinata asked fearfully.

"Unless…Naruto-kun is willing to perform a little…service." She said, accenting the word 'service'. Hinata stared at her sister with a look of sheer horror on her face.

"_No, she couldn't possibly mean_…"

"And what kind of service are we talking about here?" Naruto asked her. Being the dense person that he was, he didn't exactly catch the hidden meaning behind it.

"Well, to put it simply…I wan't you to remove your shirt." Hanabi said, without an ounce of shame. Naruto had an expression of confusion on his face, while Hinata let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that Hanabi was so young, otherwise she would have thought of something much worse, or better depending on who you are, then that.

"So all I have to do is take off my shirt…and you won't say anything?" Naruto asked her.

He was confused as to why she would want that of all things. He shrugged it off, figuring it was some weird Hyuuga thing.

"Well, that and you have to give me a hug." Hanabi added on.

"Alright…then." Naruto said as he grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and began to pull up. Both Hanabi and Hinata held their breath, waiting for the inevitable.

There he stood in all his shirtless glory. Hanabi's eyes shot wide open at the sight before her while Hinata passed out instantaneously. The both of them were definitely going to have dreams tonight. Every single muscle fiber on his body was in the ideal shape. And when coupled with his gorgeous face and hair, along with the necklace that Tsunade had given him, it once again screamed that all familiar word…

"_HOT_!!!"

"What?" Naruto asked innocently as Hanabi stared at him, a puddle of drool increasing in size on the mahogany floor. Hinata had fainted as soon as the shirt was completely off, her face so red, it would make a tomato blush.

"_Damn, neechan has good taste_. Alright, now for the second part of our deal." Hanabi stated as she inched ever so slowly towards Naruto. For the first time in her life, she actually felt nervous.

"_Get a hold of yourself. No matter what he may look like on the outside, he's still that same, goofy kid that just barely managed to beat Neji_." She thought as she stopped right in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him and began to cuddle into him.

"_Oh, he's so warm and his skin is so smooth and damn is he sexy. I could stay like this forever_." She thought in a fan-girlish daze as she tightened her arms around him. Naruto, feeling that it wouldn't hurt, returned the hug and draped his arms around her waist. She almost instantly melted at his touch.

"Hanabi-chan," Naruto whispered to her, Hanabi's ears hearing a passionate, lust-filled voice that just oozed sex appeal. Hanabi couldn't make heads or tails of anything in her state of euphoria and could only focus the pleasurable experience she was going through at the moment.

"_Oh, Kami, that was hot_." She thought as she flinched slightly, not daring to look in his eyes lest something happen that could only be written in one of Jiraiya's books.

"Hanabi-chan, Neji is coming this way." Naruto said in his usual tone of voice as he announced the present danger. She registered what he had said this time and quickly pushed him off of her.

"Hey, Neji." Naruto shouted as he waved to him.

"Greetings, Naruto-sama…is… there a reason that you're in nothing but your…undergarments?" Neji asked puzzled and slightly disturbed.

"No…not really." Naruto replied uneasily as he glanced at Hanabi out of the corner of his eye.

"I am sorry if this might cause an inconvenience, but Hiashi-sama has requested that you leave the premises as soon as possible. He is expecting very important guests from another nation and he will require the rooms you currently reside in." Neji informed him with a slight hint of remorse.

"It's alright, Neji. Don't worry about it. Besides, if Obaa-chan did her job, we should already have a place to stay by now." Naruto reassured him.

"Very well, Naruto-sama, I wish you the best of luck. Hanabi, Hiashi-sama also requests your presence at the moment." Neji replied turning to slightly flushed Hyuuga.

"Alright, I'm coming. Bye, Naruto-_kun_." She said with a seductive wink, once again stressing the 'kun'.

"_It's hard to believe her and Hinata-chan come from the same family_." Naruto thought, comparing their personalities in his head as he sweatdropped.

"I can't believe it. It actually worked." Kyu muttered as he sauntered through the door and out into the hall.

"N-Na-Naruto-kun, is t-that you?" Hinata asked as she began to stir from her unconsciousness.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, I almost forgot you were still here." Naruto said as he held out a hand to help her onto her feet. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Um…sure," Hinata replied.

"You…wouldn't happen to…know why you were in my bed this morning, would you." Naruto asked as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"W-Well…Neji has told me t-that I sleepwalk. I've w-woken up in t-the same b-bed as Hanabi a couple of t-times and s-some of the other f-family m-members h-have said that they've s-seen me walking a-around at n-night." Hinata explained. Naruto felt relieved that there was a logical answer for that. But it was partially his fault for forgetting to lock the door the previous night.

"I'm s-sorry if I caused you any t-trouble, N-Na-Naruto-kun." Hinata apologized, looking down in shame.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. And besides…" Naruto said moving closer to her. Once he was right in front of her, he positioned his head right next to her left ear and began to whisper something.

"Who said I didn't enjoy it?" He finished before he walked away to wake Kioko and Akane up, leaving a bewildered Hinata standing in the hall, her heart beating faster than ever before.

**(Hokage Tower)**

Tsunade was currently focusing on a certain document she had found the night before in the Hokage's personal library. It resided in a special box that had nearly pushed her to her limits in order to figure out how to open it. Normally, she wouldn't have noticed an item such as this since she was currently trying to find quarters for Naruto, his sister, and 'roommate', but what attracted her to it was what the box had imprinted on the top.

_To the current Hokage_

She had taken the liberty to spend all night and the following morning reading over its contents, making sure that she understood every detail. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed it before.

It was almost as if the writer of everything within the box had known what would happen, before it actually happened: the Kyuubi attack, the villagers' hatred of the Uzumaki boy, everything.

Everything that concerned Naruto, that is.

She began to wonder if this shouldn't have been addressed to him instead of to the current Hokage. Almost everything that was written was addressed to Naruto, except for a few things.

Those exceptions were probably the only things in the entire box that were actually addressed towards the Hokage. Everything else was for him and could only be unlocked by him, thanks to a special seal which required his blood. Not only that, but it gave the date that Naruto was to see the contents of the box and open them.

Exactly eighteen years from the date of his birth, the day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha.

Everything in the box was also addressed from one person and one person only, a man named Arashi. Why the Fourth Hokage compiled all of these things for Naruto, she had no clue. She supposed he knew how the blonde would be treated and prepared accordingly, since he did actually make the boy's life a living hell.

Either way, finding this box had created more questions than answers. But, at least one good thing had come out of this.

"_At least he's got a place to stay now_." Tsunade thought as she finished reading the letter she was currently holding.

"Tsunade-sama; Naruto, Akane, and little Kioko are here." Shizune announced, peeking her head through the door.

"Send them in, Shizune." Tsunade replied as she carefully hid the letter in a compartment in her desk.

"Hey, Obaa-chan, did you find us anything?" Naruto shouted as the trio plus Kyu entered the room. Tsunade lazily propped her head up with one of her arms before answering him.

"Well, I was able to find you one place, but I'd rather you see it for yourself." She answered whilst smirking. Boy was he in for a surprise when he saw what she had found.

Naruto caught her smirk and sighed inwardly.

"_Something tells me I'm not going to like this_." Naruto thought.

"Is it really big like Hinata-hime's mansion, Tsunade-baba?" Kioko asked hopefully.

"Wait, hime?" Tsunade asked confused. Since when was Hinata a princess.

"That's just her nickname for her, since Hinata-chan lives in a house that's bigger than most small villages." Naruto exaggerated.

"Well, it's…okay in size and it has a decent view. I think you three will like it." She said, laughing inwardly as she thought about what Naruto's reaction would be upon seeing it.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Naruto said, pumping a fist into the air as all of them left the room except for the slug princess. She opened up her drawer and once again brought out the letter she had been previously reading. She skimmed over it one last time before she filed the paper back into her desk and began to exit the door,

**(Later…)**

"Obaa-chan," Naruto said in a mystified tone.

"Yes, Naruto." Tsunade answered with a satisfied smirk as she waited for his response.

"Is Kami male or female? I just don't know anymore." He asked as he marveled at the house in front of him. When she had said it was 'okay in size', she was obviously lying. This thing was huge. Of course it wasn't as big as the Hyuuga estate since it wasn't an entire compound, but it was worthy of the title mansion. Naruto couldn't believe that Tsunade had found a place like this, let alone allow him to inhabit it. But what confused him the most was how he had never noticed this place before.

"Tsunade-sama, how in the world did you find this?" Akane asked as she also looked on in wonder at their soon to be home.

"Let's just say I did some…digging." Tsunade answered cryptically.

"Naruto-niichan, I bet we have the best view in the whole village." Kioko exclaimed as she ran to the edge and peered over the side of the cliff. The house wasn't exactly located on a cliff, it was actually on top of the Hokage monument. The view from up there was probably one of the best there is.

"What are we standing out here for, let's go inside." Tsunade said as she began the trek towards the front door of the house, the trio following closely behind. The house itself was that of traditional Japanese architecture. It was like a miniature version of a palace but it was still large in its own right.

Naruto still wondered how he had never noticed it before, considering all of the times he had come up there. Grant it, it was fairly hidden behind some trees, but someone diligent enough probably would have seen it.

The group gradually opened the old, wooden doors and stepped into the house. The inside was just as marvelous as the outside. Almost the entire house was Japanese oriented. There was the main hall, which was really just one large hallway that led to almost every other room in the house. It consisted of a nice white marble floor that was very well polished for some reason, considering the fact that the outside was somewhat withered. In the middle of the ceiling was a gargantuan chandelier that almost illuminated the entire house.

The group walked into the kitchen, their jaws almost falling off of their faces. This kitchen was probably suited more for a five star restaurant than a house. In the middle was a massive counter riddled with sinks and cooking utensils of all sorts. Littering the rest of the kitchen were ovens and refrigerators. Naruto thought whoever owned this house sure knew how to eat.

The bedrooms were exactly the same in nature as everything else, exquisite and extravagant. It seemed as if no expense was spared to make sure that this place was the best place to live. The walls were painted a deep shade of scarlet as well as the king-sized bed. On the bed were various white and golden pillows that gave the room a sense of royalty.

The foursome trekked into the backyard, where a gigantic garden awaited them. Many regular trees overwhelmed the area, making it feel more like a forest than a backyard while bonsai trees were scattered here and there to give it a more oriental feel (A/N: God, I feel like I'm on HGTV). Near the entrance, there were many flower gardens, but most of the flowers had withered and died, making it look more like a cemetery, minus the gravestones.

"What's with all the dead flowers?" Akane asked as she took in the sight.

"Whoever had been taking care of this place must have neglected all of these plants or they just passed on." Tsunade reasoned as she began to turn around.

"I bet the flowers were really pretty to." Kioko said as she tried to pick up a dead one, only to have it crumble in her hand. The party walked back towards the front door, keeping relatively silent. After all, they were still in the 'I can't believe we get to live here' phase.

"Hey, Tsunade-baachan, who did this house belong to anyway?" Kioko asked as she tugged on the hem of Tsunade's robe.

"Well if you must know, I did some 'research' on this place and found out that it belonged to the Fourth Hokage." She answered. Naruto's jaw hit the floor. He couldn't believe that he was living in the home of the man that basically inspired him to be a ninja. Akane, however, snarled a bit at the sound of his title. He was the man that imprisoned her in that accursed seal for fifteen years after all.

"The Fourth Hokage, no way, that's awesome, baachan!" Naruto shouted ecstatically. All of a sudden, a certain silver-haired shinobi appeared in the same room as them, his eye glued to the perverted, orange manuscript in his hands.

"Hey, did I miss the party?" Kakashi said coolly, his eyes not moving from their position on the book. It was like no matter what the situation, he was in some sort of trance. Then again, it was technically porn and porn did have that effect on males…among other effects.

"Kakashi-sensei, how did you find us?" Akane asked. Sure, he was a jounin, but still he shouldn't have been able to find them by himself. Kakashi actually took his eyes off his book for a second.

"Well, I checked Naruto's apartment, but the man said that you no longer lived there. So I went to ask Tsunade-sama about it and she wasn't in her office either. Luckily I met Shizune-chan and she pointed me in the right direction…" Kakashi stopped, noticing that his beloved book was missing.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Kioko had managed to grab his book right from under his nose while he was speaking and had begun to read it.

"Naruto-niichan, what is a…womanhood? Is it something girls wear on their head?" Kioko asked, doing her best to try and make sense of what she was reading. Naruto and Akane immediately panicked and rushed towards her, managing to retrieve the book before she had gotten any farther.

"Kioko, if you ever see an orange book like this again, take it and destroy it immediately!" Naruto commanded aggressively, strapping an explosive tag to it and hurling the book as far away as possible. It exploded in a small burst, scattering fragments of paper everywhere. Kakashi fell onto his knees and began to weep silently into his hands.

"_Never come between a male and his porn_." Akane thought, making a mental note of it for the future. She prayed to Kami that Naruto wouldn't turn out like this when he turned Kakashi's age.

"But Naruto-niichan, I want to know why that guy stuck a rod into that woman's hood. I hope her head wasn't hurt." Kioko whined as she began to picture an evil man hitting a woman wearing a hoodie in the head with a metal rod.

"Let's just say that her head would be the least of her worries." Akane said awkwardly as a gigantic sweatdrop formed on her head.

"Well anyway, the reason I'm here is for Akane. We still have some training to do." Kakashi said, seemingly finished with the mourning of his adored book.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. I don't need more training. I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself." Akane whined, trying to make a point.

"Yes, you are perfectly capable, but there is more to being a ninja than just sending armies of kage buushin at your opponent." Kakashi countered, throwing a slight glance at Naruto as well. "_Plus, I still feel a little bit uneasy about those two nin_."

"Well…I guess your right." She said sighing in defeat. "Bye, Tsunade-sama, Kyu-kun, Kioko, bye Naruto-kun." She managed to get out before her and Kakashi fully walked out of the door.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Well…we could go to the ramen stand and buy the ramen you promised me." Kyu stated, trying his best to make him remember. Kyu really wanted to see that ramen girl again.

"I guess we have nothing better to do. Hey Obaa-chan do you wan't to come?" Naruto asked her.

"Please, the hokage doesn't have time to mess around like you, Naruto. Besides, I've got a meeting today with one of the village council." She replied. As much as she wanted ramen, it was just a luxury she couldn't afford.

"Suit yourself. Come on, guys," Naruto motioned for Kioko and Kyu to follow him out of the door. Tsunade simply stood in place, staring at the back of Naruto's retreating form.

"_It's weird, Naruto's appearance is actually very similar to the fourth's…Nah, I'm just imagining things_."

**(Training Field Seven)**

"So…what are we going to do today, Kakashi-sensei?" Akane asked as she began to stretch out with simple toe touches and that sort.

"There's no need for that, Akane. We're going to be doing something different today." Kakashi said as he began to reach into a pocket on his jounin vest.

"And what would that be?" She asked apprehensively, keeping an eye on his pocket unless he tried to attack her.

"This." Kakashi simply said as he held out a small, blank piece of paper. Akane eyed it curiously. At first she thought it was an explosive note, but she failed to see any kanji.

"And just what is this?" She asked.

"Well, you know how all the elemental affinities work don't you?" Kakashi asked her back.

"Yes, there's fire, water, then earth, wind, and lightning. Am I right?" She replied.

"Exactly, so before I teach you any new jutsu, I'm going to find out your elemental affinity." Kakashi stated, handing her the slip of paper.

"So, what do I do with it?" She asked confused.

"Just hold it and transfer a small amount of your chakra into the paper." Kakashi responded.

"Alright, here we go." Akane said as she began to transfer as little chakra as possible into the paper. A small amount her chakra began to ooze into the piece of paper. A few seconds later, nothing had seemed to happen as the paper kept its original state. There wasn't anything on it, no cracks, no signs of burning, no damp spots, nothing happened.

"Maybe…it's defective." Kakashi said as he walked up and tried to take the paper away from her. As soon as his fingers touched it, the paper began to glow a bright red. The copy ninja immediately jumped back, Akane doing the same as she dropped the paper on the spot and leapt away. The sheet erupted in a swirling pillar of fire. Both Akane and Kakashi watched in wonder as the fire shot up into the sky, taking out everything in its path, before finally dissipating.

"Um…Akane, I told you to put a _small amount_ of your chakra into it." Kakashi said while sweatdropping.

"But…Kakashi-sensei…I did." She said slightly fearful. Kakashi sauntered over to her and helped her up.

"Well…it's safe to say that your affinity is fire." Kakashi joked sarcastically. "I happen to have a fire jutsu scroll on me. Go over there and begin reading over it. I'll be down in a minute." He commanded as she took the scroll from him and ran off to another part of the field. Kakashi turned around and stared at the spot where the column of fire had appeared.

"_The paper wasn't supposed to explode like that. But…what scares me the most is…the fire took the shape of the head of a…fox_."

**(Elsewhere)**

"Naruto-niichan, can we go in there?" Kioko asked for the tenth time that day. She had been at this for about an hour and it was wearing Naruto out. It was as if every time she spotted a building, she was unnaturally drawn to it by some unknown force and every time Naruto had to forcibly drag her out.

"No, Kioko, we can't go in that one." Naruto said exasperatedly. How in the world could a little girl have so much energy? He was mentally debating whether or not to find a drug store and force a few Ritalin tablets into her system.

Kioko huffed in anger as she crossed her arms. Naruto wasn't being very nice to her today. Her eyes settled on a certain store that seemed to stand out among the others. The sign was decorated with all sorts of different colors, which enticed her to go inside.

"_Ya…ma…na…ka flower shop_," She thought, trying to sound out the word in her head. It was then that she noticed all of the flowers in the window and immediately wanted to go to them.

"Hey, Naruto-niichan," Kioko asked, pulling on his jacket.

"Yes…Kioko?" Naruto asked her as he let out another exasperated sigh.

"Can we please go in that one? It's got all sorts of pretty flowers that we can put in the back yard at the house." Kioko tried to reason with him. He took a long look at the shop. Something about it just seemed so familiar to him. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and he couldn't help but agree.

"Alright, alright…just this one store, no more okay." Naruto ordered as she leapt at him and gave him a hug. She then ran into the store with Kyu on her shoulder while Naruto slowly strolled in after her.

**(Inside the Store)**

Ino Yamanaka was not exactly having a good day. Nothing _horrible_ happened, but everything wasn't great either. First of all, there hadn't been any missions lately. As much as she complained about them, at least they brought a little spice and excitement to life. It was as if every evil doer had taken a vacation or something. Heck, she would have even been glad to chase that damn cat around the entire town like she did when she was a genin, but even it hadn't escaped that horrid lady that it always ran away from. Not one single mission the entire week.

As if that wasn't enough, because of the whole mission 'famine', she was stuck watching the flower shop. Again, this wouldn't have been so bad, if it was only for a day or two. But no, her parents were off on a B-class mission in some foreign country, leaving her to fend for the shop by herself, for an entire week. On top of that, everyone and their grandma had seemed to stop by the shop this week of all weeks. She had enough of those horrible, bratty children that wouldn't stop whining. So you accidentally stepped on your flower, get over it and buy another one.

Last, and most certainly not least, there was last night, were she decided to go on a date with this guy she had met. At first, he had seemed really nice when she had met him and he was very handsome, but all good things must come to an end, as they say. He had been one of the rudest people she had ever met and during the date, he had tried to cope a feel of her breasts. Needless to say, authorities had found him in a dumpster the next morning, hypnotized into thinking he was a butterfly. After that, she hadn't really known what happened to him, but whatever he got was too good for him. Whoever had said beauty was only skin deep, certainly knew what they were talking about.

Her thoughts began to wonder towards a certain loudmouthed blonde, other than herself that is. She wasn't thinking about him in that way, oh no, it was more of a random thought. Things just seemed to be so dull without him. Back when he was here, there always seemed to be something interesting that could keep her occupied. His brash attitude and simple train of thought wasn't exactly 'enchanting', but it was very funny most of the time, especially when Sakura would hit him over the head for something trivial. She wouldn't show it on the outside, but she'd be doubling over in laughter on the inside. He was one of the few guys that could make her do that, and he was extremely kind, and caring, and gentle, and he always stood up for what was right. He was unique in every way, even if he did tend to grate her nerves every once in a while. She might have even considered dating him at one point, since he was one of the few guys out there that was actually worth it, but she was more afraid of what the others might think. He wasn't exactly prince charming, plus he was a little bit on the short side.

Man, she wished that she had someone she knew to talk to. Here she was, on a bright sunny day, stuck in a small flower shop, wasting away her life. She wasn't getting any younger and in a world full of ninja, old age was a blessing from Kami himself, or herself if you're Naruto.

Now, where was she, oh yes, the whole date thing the night before. Besides all of the guys that she knew personally, there was really not one guy worth dating. She was almost ready to give up on guys in general. Almost, that is…until one person walked through the door of the shop.

"Niichan, look at all the pretty flowers." A blonde girl with two long pigtails stated as she stared in wonder at all the varieties of flowers, while holding a small fox in her arms.

It was just another little bratty child. Great, just great. But there was something odd about her. She almost looked exactly like the other blonde she had just been thinking about. It was probably only a coincidence though.

As if on cue, her supposed brother walked in through the front door and boy was he a sight for sore eyes. Messy, golden blonde hair; soft yet intoxicating blue eyes; extremely well built body. Ino almost wet herself from all the lust she had building up inside her. Screw swearing off guys, this one was definitely worth it.

"Hey, Kioko, don't touch them. You might break them." The blonde man ordered as stood next to the little girl. Ino decided to see what it was that the two wanted. Handsome or not, he was still a customer.

"Hello handsome…I mean, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" Ino asked hoping that he didn't catch her little slip up. Naruto stared at her for a few seconds, getting that sinking feeling that he knew her from somewhere. Purple outfit, slim figure, extremely long ponytail, it all clicked at that moment.

"Hey, Ino-chan, it's good to see you." Naruto said cheerfully as he gave her a smile. The feeling that she knew this guy from somewhere then hit her hard. She looked over him once more, and after a couple of seconds she realized who she had been eyeing.

"Naruto, is that you?" Ino asked in disbelief. She begged for it not to be him, since that would mean that she was checking him out and she did not want that on her conscience.

"Yeah, of course it's me. Who else could it be?" Naruto replied jokingly. Ino let out a depressed sigh. Why did it have to be him?

"Um…is something wrong?" Naruto asked after hearing her sigh.

"No, nothing's wrong. So…what brings you here?" Ino asked curiously.

"Well, my sister wanted to purchase some of your lovely flowers for our garden." He said, glancing at Kioko out of the corner of his eye.

"Since when do you have a garden? I thought you lived in an apartment." Ino asked confused.

"We don't anymore, now we live in a…" Naruto covered Kioko's mouth just in time.

"House, it's got a small garden in the back and Kioko wants to plant some flowers back there." Naruto finished for her. He didn't exactly want everyone to know that he currently lived in the mansion of the Fourth Hokage and they didn't call Ino the 'gossip queen' for nothing.

Ino ignored it for the moment, choosing rather to perform the task at hand. She guided the little bundle of energy around the store, informing her about all of the different flowers and such. All the while, Naruto leaned against the wall, attempting to catch up some sleep. In the end, Kioko had chosen a large assortment of flowers, ranging from roses to daffodils and that sort.

"Look at all these flowers I got, Naruto-niichan. We're gonna have a big garden." Kioko shouted excitedly as she held them up to her adoptive brother.

"They're really pretty. How much for them, Ino-chan?" Naruto asked as he reached into his pocket and prepared to seize the money within his frog wallet so aptly named 'Gama-chan'.

"Don't worry about it, there on the house." Ino said strolling back to her previous position behind the counter. Truthfully, she wasn't in the mood to figure out an appropriate price, so why not let them have it free. It's not like it would matter in the long run. They made more then enough money off of missions as it was.

"Come now, they have to cost something." Naruto tried to reason with her. He didn't want to live off of other people's pity. That wasn't his style.

"No really, they're free. Think of it as…a welcome back present." She replied as she picked up where she had last left off in her magazine. Of course, Naruto wasn't one to take no for an answer.

"Well, if you won't accept money, what if I pay you…another way." Naruto said, pausing in a theatrical sort of fashion as a devious smirk crossed his face. Ino quirked an eyebrow at his statement.

"And just what would that way be?" She queried, almost as if expecting something sinister, which would completely contradict his character.

"I'll treat you to ice cream!" Naruto responded, completely tarnishing the dramatic moment. A large sweatdrop formed on the back of the platinum blonde's head as she stared at him strangely. There was just something about his smile that you couldn't say no to.

"Alright, but you're paying." She demanded as she stepped from behind the counter.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." The Kyuubi vessel responded as his lips formed a small smirk.

**(Tsunade's Office)**

Tsunade furiously scribbled on a random document that she had been handed by her adorable assistant Shizune. Paperwork, one of the many reasons why she declined the offer to become Hokage when Jiraiya had offered it to her all those years ago (which was only three or four). It was as if for every form she filled out, there were ten replacements to take its place. How she wished that she could take a nice, relaxing dip in the onsen and sip (chug down) a nice bottle of the natural relaxant called sake.

But unfortunately, she had a meeting today. With who, you ask. None other than one of the village council. Those pompous windbags never seemed to let her off the hook for anything that concerned the village. So there had been a jailbreak, it wasn't her fault. So the current genin roster hadn't been updated in a couple months, it wasn't her fault. So the scrolls in the room that held the history of Konohagakure had been moved to make way for her liquor cabinet…okay that was her fault, but can you blame a girl?

Not only was it one of the members of the council, it was the most feared, threatening, and just plain hard to look at members of the council. That's right, Danzou. Oh how she dreaded every moment that he graced her with his presence. The man was covered in bandages from head to toe, a limb and maybe another body part were missing from the rest of his body, and worst of all, occasionally he would bleed through his bandages, causing a sudden emergence of her Hemophobia. She literally had to force herself to not look at him if she wanted to make it through a meeting. Sadly, that time had come and he would sit down and complain about how bad she had done as hokage or why Konoha wasn't more militarized.

Tsunade was shaken from her thoughts when a loud rapping sound pummeled the door to her office.

"_Speak of the devil_…" She thought agitatedly as she yelled out a signal to let the person in. She was almost certain it was him, due to the force that came out of the knock. He obviously had some anger issues. This time, she decided to mess around with him.

"Tsunade, I need to have a word with you!" He stated in a gruff, testosterone filled voice that could only belong to a seasoned council member.

"_Gee, what was your first clue_?" She thought sarcastically, taking a small book out of her desk with the words 'crossword puzzles' written on it. "What do you want, Danzou? I'm a very busy person." She asked in a very demanding tone. She had to be rough with him, otherwise he would think of her as weak.

"I was informed by some of my subordinates that there was an attack on one of our ninja two days ago." He said, narrowing his eyes at her as he took a seat in a nearby chair. Tsunade kept her eyes on the crossword puzzle in front of her.

"And…what of it?" She asked curtly. "_Hmmm…what's a seven letter word for a male ninja_?" She asked herself as she stared at the paper.

"What do you plan to do about this situation?" He asked, keeping it as crude as possible. He wasn't exactly known for beating around the bush. Hell, he wasn't known for even beating the bush, more like completely obliterating it.

"In time, I…" Tsunade began before she was interrupted by Danzou slamming his fist on her desk, causing a momentary tremor in the room.

"What is with you and time? You need to act now, Tsunade. What if they are planning to act again? What will…?" Danzou stopped suddenly when he realized that he couldn't move at all. The killer intent radiating off of the Godaime was so intense that he couldn't move or form words.

"The situation requires time, Danzou-_sama_." Tsunade said menacingly as the spite seemed to roll off of her tongue. "When and only when I have gathered enough information will I deal with the problem thoroughly and swiftly." She finished, the tension in the room apparently wearing off as she returned to her crossword puzzle. "_Hmmm…I five letter word for a sharp, throwing knife…Of course, kunai_."

Danzou stared threateningly at her. Oh, how he wished he could execute her and place her head on a silver platter at the moment, but unfortunately, he could not face her in his present condition.

"Yes, well, that is not the only reason I scheduled this meeting, Tsunade." He said, trying his best to hold back the venom in his voice. Tsunade hadn't noticed this at all as she was too wrapped up in her puzzle

"You wouldn't happen to know an eight letter word for 'full of young qualities', would you?" Tsunade asked impassively as she began to chew on her pencil.

"Damn it, Tsunade, I've had enough of your childish games!" Danzou shouted angrily.

"That's it, thank you, Danzou-sama…Yo-uth-ful." Tsunade scribbled down on her paper. Danzou did his best to calm himself down by taking a few deep breaths.

"Tsunade, I want to discuss the current treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure." Danzou said as calmly as possible, making sure to not reveal any emotion in his words. Tsunade perked her ears a bit.

"And just what would it be that you want to…discuss." Tsunade hesitated. She didn't trust Danzou one bit.

"I request that you…disband the treaty between our two villages." Danzou said, once again in that monotonous tone of voice. The blonde haired Godaime stared at him wide eyed.

"You can't be serious. On what terms do you…" She shouted irately. What the hell was he thinking, Suna was Konoha's most trusted ally.

"On the terms that they are most likely the one behind the attack two days ago." Danzou interrupted as he smirked inwardly. He definitely had her full attention now.

"There is no way that is possible. My sources and the eyewitness's confirmed that they wore Konoha headbands and outfits of the Konoha ANBU. They also confirmed that there were no henge or genjutsu of any sort that would…" She began, before being interrupted by Danzou.

"A simple task really. You are aware of the invasion of Konoha prior to your appointment of Hokage." Danzou began as he leaned back in his seat. "Many of our beloved ninja were lost during the attack, including ANBU. I wouldn't be surprised if they may have confiscated some of the bodies and possibly the uniforms for what not."

"That's impossible. They were deceived by Orochimaru and immediately surrendered to us. During that time, we searched them thoroughly for any signs of materials of that sort from our village." Tsunade counteracted. She was glad that she did some brushing up on the recent records of the village previously. Danzou stood up out of his chair and walked up to her desk, leaning forward and meeting her eye to eye.

"Do you _really_ believe that, Tsunade…because I don't." Danzou said sinisterly as he stared into her eyes, searching for any sign of doubt. He then returned to his seat and awaited a reply from the busty kunoichi.

"But, Kazekage-sama is…" Tsunade did her best to formulate a reply to most likely the shock of the year.

"…merely a figurehead, Tsunade-sama." Danzou once again finished her sentence.

At the moment, the Godaime was at a loss for words. While she still didn't trust him one bit, he had been right about most everything within this conversation, especially about Gaara. It was true that he did hold some political power, but not enough to actually make a difference. In Sunagakure, Gaara really was only a figurehead, his position given to him by the so far untrustworthy members of the Suna council in order to provide the village with a sense of false hope. Gaara might be making the decisions, but the council was pulling the strings, and she didn't exactly trust any of them, except for maybe Baki.

"The Suna council didn't take too kindly to surrendering to our village, and most still hold resentment for the humiliating defeat that they suffered for it." Danzou added. He stopped, giving her a chance to soak it all in, before continuing on.

"Everyone bows to someone, do they not, Hokage-sama?" Danzou stated with a smirk on his face, a smirk Tsunade was too lost in thought to catch. "Gaara may be Kazekage, but even he must obey the Suna council, just as you must obey the Konoha council." Tsunade sat in her chair with her head down.

"I'd watch that sand 'ambassador' if I were you. Who's to say she's not in on any of this as well. She was…the first time, if you were so informed." Danzou added, attempting to strengthen his hold on the conversation. Tsunade was informed of everything that happened during the invasion, including Temari's role in it. She along with her brother Kankuro were apart of the key operation, to make sure Gaara completed his task safely. She also learned of how Naruto managed to defeat the Shukaku vessel. If he hadn't of managed to beat Gaara, the sand would probably have won.

"But when the sound four captured Sasuke, the Sand…"

"…defeated them only to seek revenge against the man who deceived them, Orochimaru." Danzou, yet again, finished her sentence.

Tsunade soaked in all of the information. Should she really forsake their almost four year treaty for some unverified theory, no matter how logical it sounded?

"Against my better judgment, I will…consider what you have said, Danzou, and will think it through thoroughly. However, I will not disband our treaty until I have more evidence of your…'theory', that has in no way been even slightly confirmed, mind you." Tsunade affirmed him as she folded her hands together.

"Very well, Tsunade. I wasn't expecting you to give up on Suna so easily. But, if anything, remember this..." Danzou began as he lifted up from his seat and began to exit the room. He stopped at the doorway in a dramatic sort of sense.

"The desert does have its mirages." And with that he departed.

**(With our favorite blonde)**

"So, Ino-chan, did you like the ice cream?" Naruto asked her as they walked at a leisurely pace down one of the many wide streets of Konoha. The group had recently finished their trip to the ice cream parlor and was heading back to the Yamanaka flower shop.

"It tasted really good. I can't remember the last time I had real ice cream other than the diet brand." She responded happily. Going, she had started out with a mostly sour attitude, but coming back, she acted like she had ne'er a care in the world. Naruto really knew how to cheer people up.

"Well it's a good thing I talked you out of eating that diet trash, now isn't it. You don't need it, you're pretty enough as it is." Naruto stated, once again not realizing the depth of his statements. Ino's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at his statement. She hadn't been complemented like that in a long while.

"I'm pretty aren't I, Naruto-niichan?" Kioko asked him as she ran up to his side and performed her familiar habit of tugging on his jacket. Naruto sweatdropped slightly, perplexed as to why his adoptive sister would ask him that question, let alone care about his opinion in the matter. He decided just to go along with it.

"Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?" Naruto asked her as he ruffled her hair a bit, something that she always found enjoyable.

"Because, Kyu-kun keeps saying I'm not." She replied, huffing slightly as she pointed to the fox residing on her shoulder.

"Well, tell Kyu that he's just being an insensitive baka-neko." Naruto said as the aforementioned fox perked his ears and twitched ever so slightly, holding back from slashing Naruto across the face with his claws. Kioko responded with a huge nod and began to relay the message to Kyu.

"She certainly has a wild imagination. Believing foxes can talk and all." Ino said softly in the Kyuubi container's ear as she watched Kioko scold the fox kit.

"Eh, a kid can dream, can't she?" The blonde replied sarcastically.

A little ways away, a lanky, auburn haired male teenager strolled down the streets with his hands in his pockets. He had a sort of annoyed expression on his face. This was due to a date he had with a certain feisty blonde the night before. It turned out very…badly, to say the least and his head still hurt from the trance she had put him in. So his hand just happened to…slip and he just happened to cope a feel. It wasn't his fault that she happened to be extremely attractive and he happened to be a guy.

He walked further down the road, his mind still wandering back to how good it felt and how he wanted to feel them again. He rounded a corner and turned onto the street that Naruto, Ino, and Kioko happened to be on. The three of them were rounding the corner at the same time he did, the guy and Ino colliding into each other.

The moment he saw her, the guy tripped and fell forward, his face landing (A/N: Yeah, you guessed it) right in between her two 'assets'. An awkward silence fell as both parties stopped in their tracks, that is, until everyone was able to comprehend what had happened. Ino stared at the reddish brown haired guy who had inadvertently put his face between her two mounds.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" The feisty blonde screamed at the surprised male.

"My bad, Ino-chan. I must have tripped." The boy replied, trying to avoid another fatal confrontation with the aggressive kunoichi. Ino, of course, didn't take to kindly to that.

"Tripped, my ass. One time just couldn't satisfy you could it?" She huffed angrily in response.

"Umm…Ino-chan, what exactly is going on here?" Naruto asked fearfully, hoping not to invoke the wrath of said blonde. Ino sighed, not really wanting to give an explanation but giving one anyway.

"Fine, this is Takeshi. He was my…date last night." She let out with an unenthusiastic groan. Naruto took note of the way she said it, thinking that she obviously did not enjoy said date.

"Come on, Ino-chan, you make it sound like a bad thing." Takeshi stated as he threw an arm around her, to which she gently grabbed it and placed it off of her shoulder.

"You know what you did." Ino said spitefully as she glared at him out of the corner of her eye. He walked closer to her once more, taking her hands into his.

"Yes, and it was wrong of me to do such a thing. I just want to make it up to you." He replied, staring into her eyes meaningfully. For a second, Ino actually believed him. The way he said it was very convincing. Any other girl probably would have fell for it, but not her. When you come from a clan of people who deal with the mind and its workings, you're sort of able to tell when someone is really telling the truth and when they're lying.

"Well, it's too late for that. Besides, I already found someone else." She stated, taking Naruto's arm and draping it around her shoulder, causing said blonde shinobi to blush wildly.

"Hold on a second. Since when did I become…" Naruto halted when Ino promptly slammed her foot down onto his, making him wince with pain if only for a second. As soon as she did this, he immediately got the idea and decided to play along. "Yeah, what she said."

"Right, like I'm going to believe that. Come on, Ino-chan, what do you say?" Takeshi once again pleaded.

"I already told you, the answer is no." Ino said as she put her arm around Naruto as well and pulled him closer to her, causing Naruto to once again blush slightly.

"But, Ino…"

"SHE SAID NO!!!" The shrill voice of Kioko yelled as she rocketed straight towards Takeshi, implanting her foot straight into groin area. Immediately, Takeshi doubled over in pain as he gripped his 'family jewels' in an effort to find any sort of relief. Naruto and Ino's eyes almost popped out of their head.

"Kioko, don't you think you went a little overboard?" Naruto asked whilst sweatdropping. He made a mental note never to piss Kioko off again, in fear that he could never reproduce after his own kind. Even Ino winced a little, though she thought he deserved it.

"Serves him right. Don't worry Ino-san, I got him for you." Kioko said happily, proud of her accomplishment.

"Why you little…" Takeshi said as he rose up from the ground and charged at her, attempting to make her pay. Kioko didn't nearly have enough time to dodge the attack and closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable.

She slowly opened her eyes to find that Takeshi's punch had been completely stopped a few inches from the bridge of her nose by none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Well, Naruto and three clones anyway. One clone held back his arm by wrapping his body around it. Another had an arm draped firmly around his neck, while the last one stood to the side of him, holding a kunai to his abdomen. All the while, the real Naruto stood behind Takeshi and the clones.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Naruto said coolly as he stood with his hands in his pockets. Takeshi relaxed, signaling that he had surrendered. Naruto then dispelled his clones and Takeshi fell to the ground on his hands and knees. Naruto then walked up behind him.

Hoping to get an avenging blow, Takeshi sprung up as fast as he could and fired a punch directed towards Naruto's face. Naruto easily sidestepped the punch by moving towards his left, and returned with a blow of his own. The blonde's fist smacked straight into Takeshi's stomach, sending him flying a good ten feet.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave me, Kioko, and Ino-chan alone." Naruto said staring into Takeshi's fearful eyes, his own eyes laced with anger. Takeshi took the hint, sprinting as fast as he could.

Ino took in everything she had just seen. She had to say, she was rather impressed. She expected him to save Kioko in some goofy fashion, but the way he did it was rather…sexy. It seemed as though Jiraiya actually did something productive in the three years they were gone. Those muscles weren't just there for show, although there was nothing wrong with showing them in her opinion.

"You okay, Kioko?" Naruto asked, keeping the same cool demeanor that he had just used. The little blonde stared into her brothers eyes with a blank expression on her face for a few seconds, before suddenly reacting.

"NARUTO-NIICHAN, THAT WAS SO COOL!" Kioko shouted as she leapt at him in a fangirlish craze and tackled him to the ground. Ino slightly giggled at the child's antics. It reminded her that she basically used to do that same thing to a certain, broody emo kid.

"_Wow, she just completely ruined my badass moment_." Naruto thought sarcastically as he struggled to keep her from suffocating him. After wrestling for dominance for a few seconds, Naruto was finally able to get her off of him.

"Wow, Naruto, looks like Jiraiya was actually serious when he trained you." Ino said as she strolled up next to them.

"Yeah, well Ero-sennin has his moments." The blonde shinobi said as he grinned sheepishly. "_I don't really have the heart to tell her I learned most if not all of my taijutsu skills by rescuing Ero-sennin from angry mobs of women_."

"Hey, what happened to Kioko?" Naruto asked as he looked around for the blonde bundle of energy. He looked down to see that she had fallen asleep on the ground.

"Poor thing must be tired. You should probably take her home." Ino said.

"But I can't just leave you here all alone." Naruto reasoned with her, until she placed a finger over his lips.

"Yes, you can. You've done more than enough for me today than you could ever know." Ino answered back as she removed her finger. "Now, go on."

"Well, if you say so. But we should definitely do this again sometime. See ya, Ino-chan." Naruto waved as he walked off. Ino stared at his retreating form in deep thought.

"_Maybe I should give guys another chance_." She asked herself, the thought lingering in her mind for a few seconds. "_Nah_…"

"_Just him_,"

**(Training Field Seven)**

"Try it again, Akane. Perform the handseals, gather the chakra into your throat, and release in one blast." Kakashi commanded agitatedly. They had been at this for what seemed forever and Akane still had trouble grasping the concept. The field was literally ablaze with the remains of failed attempts at performing the fire jutsu. She had been progressing slowly with it but somehow he felt that she would accomplish it this time. As they say…

"_Forty-third times the charm_,"

"Alright, Kakashi-sensei. _I have to get it this time_." Akane did as she was told and began the short chain of handseals, ending on the tiger seal. "_Now, focus the chakra into my throat and_…"

"KATON: GOKAKYU NO JUTSU (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!!!" A gigantic fireball then emerged from the scarlet haired girl's mouth and soared straight for the wooden scarecrow that Kakashi had setup. The impact created a great explosion, toppling Akane over in the process. Once the initial shock wore off, she opened her eyes to see the remains of the scarecrow burnt to a crisp.

"Kakashi-sensei, look I did it." Akane exclaimed as she skipped around the field like a child.

"_It is rough around the edges but…I suppose it's not so bad for accomplishing that in one day_." Kakashi thought as he performed his ever famous eye smile. "Um…Akane,"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" Akane asked as she ceased skipping.

"Your…sort of…on fire." Kakashi stated as he sweatdropped. It was then that Akane noticed that the bottom of her outfit was on fire.

"Ah, get it off, Kakashi-sensei..." She began before she was promptly cut off by a large amount of water toppling down on top of her, thanks to a Suiton jutsu by Kakashi.

"Yeah…thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Akane muttered in an annoyed fashion, completely drenched by Kakashi's jutsu.

"Anytime, Akane-chan." The silver haired jounin replied innocently.

**(Uzumaki Residence)**

"I swear, the walk up seems to get harder and harder each time." Naruto whined in between breaths. Kyu, who sat on his shoulder, just huffed.

"Maybe it's because this time you're carrying someone?" The fox kit stated sarcastically.

All of a sudden, a small tornado of leaves appeared in the center of the main hall, followed by two figures in the middle of the swirl.

"Oi," The easily recognizable, cycloptic jounin said as the swirl of leaves dissipated just as quickly as it appeared. Naruto stared dully at him before responding.

"Oh, it's just Kakashi-sensei." The blonde stated listlessly.

"_What happened to the good ol' days when he was actually excited to see me_?" Kakashi thought as a chibi Kakashi appeared in his mind and began weeping.

"Hey, Naruto-kun." Akane said cheekily, walking out from behind the copy ninja and over to her favorite blonde.

"Hey, Akane-chan!" Naruto exclaimed eagerly, unlike what he gave to Kakashi.

"_Of course, he's excited when he sees his little girlfriend_." Kakashi gave a mischievous smirk. "Hey, Naruto quit flirting and listen up. I've got an announcement to make." He shouted, getting the appropriate reaction from said blonde, who blushed in embarrassment.

"You and Akane are to meet me at training field five tomorrow morning at nine a.m. sharp, as in don't be late. Normally we would use field seven, but it is in need of…repairs at the moment." Kakashi finished, sending a glance in Akane's direction, to which she stuck her tongue out playfully. "Do I make myself clear?"

"You bet, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air in a victorious manner. Kakashi smirked slightly at his antics. He might have grown, but he was still the same little kid.

"Alright then, get plenty of sleep…because you're going to need it." Kakashi said sadistically, while both Akane and Naruto gulped.

"Wait, one last thing. Naruto…" Kakashi called out to him.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei?"

"When you're sleeping…try to keep your hands to yourself." Kakashi finished, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto stood flabbergasted while Akane heavily blushed.

"_DAMN IT, KAKASHI-SENSEI. YOU AND YOUR PERVERTED THOUGHTS_."

**(Elsewhere…)**

A bird, most likely of the falcon species, soared through the night sky with wings spread wide. What distinguished this bird from others of its kind was that it had a peculiar box strapped to its back. It circled a lone house in the middle of a secluded forest before finally plummeting down and gliding towards a window, where it perched on the seal.

A man, who had been silently sitting next to the window, held out his arm for the bird to perch on, which it did. Once the falcon was properly seated, the man loosened the buckle on the box and lifted the latch, pulling out what seemed to be a scroll of some sort. After retrieving the scroll, the man locked the bird inside a cage and exited the room.

In another part of the same house, a white haired, heavily built man walked into a seemingly large and empty room, save for one seat in the middle. He wore an ANBU outfit similar to the ones made in Konoha. Upon the throne in the middle of the room was another shadowy figure, followed by a seemingly teenage boy standing to his right.

"Kukuku…how nice of you to join us, Gaidoku-kun. I wasn't expecting you this evening." The seated man said with a sinister laugh.

"Dumbass, you're the…one that called…me here." Gaidoku snapped in response in between violent coughs, folding his arms and shooting him a death glare.

"Why Gaidoku-kun, can't we just sit down and have a drink between friends?" The seated man asked offended while an ominous smirk crossed his face. The adolescent beside him remained relatively quiet, only narrowing his eyes.

"Just because I'm forced…to work for…you does not mean that I…have to like you." Gaidoku stated, using his glove to cover his mouth as a couple of muffled coughs escaped his throat.

"Oh, maybe you would like something to settle your stomach. You seem sick today." The seated man asked in sarcastic concern.

"Enough…with the crap…Orochimaru. What the hell do you…want from me?" Gaidoku asked quickly, his coughs growing worse by the second.

"Orochimaru-sama! There is a message for you." A man, the same one who extracted the scroll from the bird, called out waving the scroll in the air as a means of garnering its attention. The man ran towards the throne, gently handed the scroll to the snake sannin, and promptly left the room. Orochimaru read it over very carefully over the course of a few minutes, before rolling it back up and laying it on his lap.

"Excellent, everything seems to be going according to plan. Here, take this Gaidoku-kun. Your orders should be near the bottom." Orochimaru said as he handed the letter to the teenage boy on his right, who handed it to Gaidoku.

"_Such a frightening child, such raw power seems to emanate from him. What kind of inhumane things did you do to this boy, Orochimaru_?" The anbu-clad man thought, standing in fear as the boy handed him the letter. The boy raised his head until both his and Gaidoku's eyes met. "_His eyes, there is no mistake about them_."

"Kukuku. Gaidoku-kun, you may now proceed with your task." Orochimaru said evilly as he leaned back in his chair, the boy returning to his place at the right of the throne.

"Yes…Orochimaru." Gaidoku said before disappearing in a flash of smoke.

"Orochimaru, I grow weary of this. Teach me a new technique." The boy demanded as he walked off into the darkness. The snake sannin chuckled in a disturbing manner.

"Aren't we eager today…"

"Sasuke-kun."

**End Chapter Eight**

Wow, okay that took forever. Once again, really sorry about the wait, I just hit a small case of writers block there, but I made it out.

I feel as though I rushed a lot of things in this chapter. Sorry if I didn't make the scene with Ino a little bit better or if the Hinata/Hanabi thing at the top didn't seem too good. At least I tried.

As always, reviews are welcome, but only if you want to. Either way, I'll still keep writing.

See ya


	9. For Whom the Bells Toll

Wow, I really can't think of anything to say or whine about...except for this.

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**: I'm sorry to say that this might be the last chapter for a couple of weeks. I have to go to this camp in Wisconsin, without a computer. But I pulled out all the stops to get this to you before I leave tomorrow. I hope you like it, because I spent nights up to three in the morning to get this out. Also, I'll probably have a lot of mistakes, since I didn't have time to check it, but just bear with it.

Oh well, here's chapter nine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi or Inner Persona talking**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter 9: For Whom the Bells Toll**

A heavily built figure with short white hair leapt from tree to tree gracefully without missing a step. His ANBU attire sat snugly around his frame, making sure to reveal his muscles that could only be compared to a professional body builder. With every step he took, a violent but muffled cough escaped his mouth, no doubt a sign of physical sickness. He seemed to be in a rush, as he perpetually began to speed up with every step.

Hearing a faint noise from behind him, he stopped as he landed on a conveniently placed branch. The slight footsteps he had heard before ceased as soon as he did. Out of nowhere, he leapt from his branch and collided with a nearby bush, knocking whoever was hiding out of it as well. The stalker fell to the earth, but managed to land on his feet. As soon as he did, the white haired ANBU tackled him down to the ground, standing on top of him and gripping his collar.

"Why the hell are…you following me?" The white haired man, known as Gaidoku, asked gruffly as he shook the stalker back and forth by his neck.

"Geez, relax already. It's me, Toshi." The stalker pleaded in a cocky tone. The white haired man brought Toshi up to his feet and quickly let go. The cocky ANBU then paused for a moment to catch his breath, before continuing to speak.

"Somebody's been eating his vegetables." Toshi stated with a smirk.

"Enough with…the comments, just tell me…what you're doing following…me." Gaidoku ordered, obviously not amused by the scowl on his face.

"I believe that I am more capable of answering that." A dark haired woman, also adorning an ANBU outfit, stated as she leapt from the branch she was on down to the two men. Her face was completely covered by a mask in the form of a bird of some sort. The only feature visible on her head was her hair, which was so neatly tied up into a ponytail that hung down to the bottom of her waist.

"Well well, Hikari-sama; so nice of you to join us." Toshi remarked sarcastically.

"Be quiet, Toshi." She responded quickly but aggressively.

"What are…you doing…here, Hikari." Gaidoku asked brusquely, cutting straight to the question at hand.

"Toshi and I were asked to assist you by orders from Orochimaru-sama, since he believes that you will need our unique…talents." Hikari responded in her professional, unemotional voice. Gaidoku simply stared unfazed before turning back around.

"Fine, so…be it. But, remember Hikari. I rank…higher than you, so as…such you will follow…my orders, understand." Gaidoku ordered awaiting her answer. Hikari hesitated a moment before answering.

"Understood, Gaidoku-sama. Toshi, quit being useless and follow us." Hikari commanded, taking to the trees with the terminally ill shinobi.

"_Somebody's having their cycle_." Toshi last thought was as he leapt to catch up with the two of them.

**(Uzumaki Residence)**

The rising sun slowly peaked over the walls of Konohagakure, illuminating the beautiful city in one swift motion. The rays of light springing from it shone through the bedroom window of one Naruto Uzumaki, who was currently enjoying a nice dream filled with ramen. Meanwhile, his partners dream was somewhat more…provocative, revolving primarily around her and the blonde counterpart she was currently squeezing the life out of in her sleep.

The moment the sunlight reached his face, his eyes cracked open ever so slowly, as signaling the need to remain shut. However, he realized that he would eventually have to wake and there was no time like the present.

"Auuuggghhh…do I have to get up?" Naruto spoke his thoughts aloud to no one in particular. He lay in his position for a few moments as if expecting a response, but receiving none.

"…So…cold." The drowsy voice of his partner Akane muttered, still fully asleep. She gripped the blonde even tighter as her body rolled onto his, ending up with her on top of him. "…much…better…" She once again mumbled in her sleep as her head settled into a comfortable position on Naruto's chest.

The Kyuubi container's face turned redder than the great fox himself as her two melons pressed against his torso. He thought about awakening her and coaxing her to get off of him, but settled on allowing her to slumber just a bit longer. Besides, it actually felt sort of…nice to have her on top of him. Her skin was very soft and creamy and she looked very peaceful there. He brought his hands up to her head and raked his fingers through her crimson locks. Whatever shampoo she used, it certainly worked wonders. After a few minutes of doing so, he eventually got used to the feel and found himself in an ethereal sort of trance, unable to tear his hands away from her.

"Ummm…Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" The familiar voice of Akane asked as she wondered why he was playing with her hair. The blonde instantly ceased what he was doing, completely forgoing the idea that she actually could wake up at anytime.

"Well…um…you see…" Naruto tried his best to come up with a reasonable explanation, when he was suddenly interrupted by a certain little blonde girl quickly opening the bedroom door.

"Naruto-niichan, are you…" Kioko's jaw fell to the floor at the sight before her. Akane-san was on top of Naruto-niichan, and their faces were really close together, almost as if they were going to…

"Am I interrupting something, Naruto-niichan?" Kioko asked as her cheeks flared up at the close contact the two were sharing. Naruto turned his head back towards Akane, whose lips were extremely close to his. Akane immediately jumped off of Naruto's body anime style and onto the floor beside the bed.

"No, no, everything's fine, Kioko. Now, what is it that you wanted?" Naruto asked her, his cheeks still slightly flushed from embarrassment.

"Well, there's this really old man downstairs with white hair and he's sitting on a giant frog." Kioko exclaimed, using hand motions to describe the person.

"_What's Ero-sennin doing here_?"

"_Well, what do you know, the old fart really is here._" Naruto thought as the trio walked into the main hallway.

"It's been such a long time, hasn't it, Naruto Uzumaki." Jiraiya said in a deep, sinister voice as he sat cross-legged on a medium sized orange frog about four feet tall. He and his summon sat partly in the shadows of the hallway as to give a more ominous appearance.

"Cut the cool sensei act, Ero-sennin. You can't pull it off no matter how hard you try." Naruto stated as he stared at his perverted teacher as an anime sweatdrop rolled down his face. Jiraiya then face faulted by falling off of his frog summon.

"Come on, kid. Can't you ever give me a break. You're always the one who whines about me not being cool enough sensei." Jiraiya commented.

"Ero-sennin, there better be a good reason for you being here. I have somewhere to be today and I don't want to be late." Naruto remarked agitatedly.

"Actually, there is." Jiraiya said, taking on a solemn tone. Naruto stared at his sensei surprised, since it was rare that Jiraiya was serious about anything. "I need you to deliver this to Kakashi, Naruto." The frog sannin stated as he handed Naruto a rectangular box wrapped up in brown paper.

"And what exactly would this be, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked quirking an eyebrow as he stared at his sensei suspiciously, already having an idea of what it could be.

"I'm sorry, but that's an A-class secret. As in, don't open the package, understand?" Jiraiya commanded him with Naruto giving a slight nod. "Alright then, that would be all."

"Wait, Ero-sennin, could I ask you a favor? I am running an errand for you after all." Naruto asked. Jiraiya shrugged, thinking what harm a little favor could do.

"Kioko, I've got a surprise for you." Naruto called out as the blonde bundle of energy ran up to him.

"What is it, Naruto-niichan?" Kioko asked excitedly. Jiraiya looked in fear as Naruto's eyes held an evil glint in them.

"Akane-chan and I have to go somewhere, so you're going to stay with Ero-sennin today." Naruto said with a smile, while Jiraiya face faulted once more.

"Now hold on just a minute, kid, there's no way that a little brat could hang around me all…" Jiraiya stopped when he looked down to see Kioko tugging on his outfit. Kioko gazed at him with a sort of sparkle in her eyes. Jiraiya stared into her cerulean orbs for a few moments and found himself entranced by her childish smile. He supposed it was some sort of paternal instinct that kicked in that couldn't deny the child.

"Alright, I guess I could watch her for the day." Jiraiya said as he released an exasperated sigh.

"Yay, let's go, Gama-kun." Kioko exclaimed as she hopped onto the large frog summon as if it were a horse. Kyu, who had been previously sitting on her shoulder, hopped up with her.

"Thanks, Ero-sennin. I don't know what I'd do without you. See ya, Kioko." Naruto yelled as him and Akane walked out of the house, heading straight for training field five, leaving Jiraiya, Kioko, and Kyu.

"Well, we might as well leave ourselves." Jiraiya said as he proceeded to leave the house.

"Umm…where are we going, Ero-sennin?" Kioko asked. Jiraiya sweatdropped, slightly annoyed that she had picked up on Naruto's 'habit', not that he didn't deserve it.

"We're going to conduct some…research."

**(Training Field Five)**

A certain pink haired kunoichi sat on a patch of grass, waiting for her consistently tardy sensei to arrive. She had been called by the procrastinator for some odd reason or another to meet him at training field five. Why it wasn't at their usual field was beyond her, but she remembered him saying something about that it was in need of repair. She just assumed some ninja went a little overboard with a jutsu and completely ransacked it.

So, here she was; sitting, waiting…waiting some more. She swore the next time that he was late, she would send all the way to Sunagakure with one punch. She had better things to do on her day off from hospital duty then wait around for two or three hours on him.

Inadvertently, her thoughts began to wander on a specific blonde haired, loudmouth, shinobi. She hadn't really heard from him since the day he got back and would give almost anything to see him again. Perhaps maybe Kakashi had invited him to this little 'gathering' so to speak.

"_Probably not, I mean, what are the chances of_…" She immediately ceased her thoughts when she heard a loud shout coming from over a nearby hill.

"HEY, SAKURA-CHAN!!!" As if on cue, a familiar earsplitting voice called out to her.

"Naruto, is that you?" Sakura asked as she saw his easily recognizable black and orange outfit. The blonde shinobi sped up into a full on sprint until he stopped the moment he reached her.

"Of course it's me." He said, rubbing the back of his head while grinning sheepishly.

"It's nice to see you again, Naruto," She said blushing a small bit. All of a sudden, an unfamiliar long haired girl with crimson locks grabbed a hold of Naruto's right arm.

"Naruto-kun, why did you run off like that?" The girl asked feigning tears as she pressed her chest up against his back and wrapped her arms around his waist, causing his cheeks to redden ever so slightly. Sakura simply stared at the girl confused as her eyebrow began to twitch in anger.

"**Who the hell does this girl think she is, holding onto Naruto like that**?" Inner Sakura screamed as flames of anger sprung up about her.

"Sorry, Akane-chan, I guess I sort of got a little carried away." Naruto apologized to her.

"That's okay, Naruto-kun. I could never stay mad at you." She said releasing him. Meanwhile, Sakura was almost flaring with anger.

"Why don't you introduce me to your friend, Naruto." Sakura said, her left eyebrow still twitching in frustration.

"My bad, Sakura-chan. Akane-chan, this is Sakura-chan. And Sakura-chan, this is Akane-chan; she's the new member of team seven." Naruto said as he introduced the both of them.

"Nice to meet you, Akane-san." Sakura said with a fake smile as she shook her hand unwillingly. She looked down, only to notice Akane's chest size, which was very similar to a size D. A deadpanned look crossed her face as she wondered if it was just a coincidence that most of Naruto's female friends had large breast sizes except for her.

"Likewise, Sakura-san." Akane replied with a counterfeit smile of her own. Akane gave Sakura an once-over as well, wondering why someone would dye their hair pink. "Is there a reason that you dyed your hair pink?"

"What are you talking about, pink is its natural color." Sakura replied in a frustrated fashion. Akane took another look at the medic-nin's hair.

"Really, did something happen with your gene pool or something like that?" Akane asked innocently.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Sakura screamed in irritation.

"Nothing, I just thought that normal people weren't born with pink hair." Akane replied, backing up a bit in order to get some distance between the two of them.

"WHY YOU LITTLE…" Sakura viciously shouted as she prepared to strike down Akane, before she was interrupted by the appearance of a certain continuously tardy instructor.

"Yo, sorry I was late. A black cat crossed my path on the way so I had to take an alternate route to avoid any bad luck." The silver haired jounin remarked, appearing in front of the group in a puff of smoke.

"AS IF THAT WOULD HAPPEN!" Both Naruto and Sakura yelled at him in frustration while Akane sweatdropped at their antics.

"_Some things never change_." Kakashi thought nostalgically as he thought back on all the times they would yell at him for being late. He really missed those times.

"Oh, hey Kakashi-sensei, I almost forgot. Ero-sennin said to give this to you and that it was an A-class secret." Naruto remembered, handing the brown package to the copy ninja. Kakashi carefully took the package, gazing in wonder at it.

"_Could it be_…?" The silver haired jounin thought as he slowly unwrapped the brown paper around it, leaving nothing but a green book with various symbols adorning it. Kakashi slowly opened the cover of the manuscript, the pages giving off an ethereal glow as if it was sent from Kami above.

"I don't believe it." Kakashi said in astonishment.

"Believe what, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as eyed the green book.

"It's…it's…the newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise!" Kakashi exclaimed as a perverted giggle escaped his lips. Everyone except for said pervert then fell down anime style. "This edition won't even be in the stores until at least six months from now. Thank you, Jiraiya-sama, now I will finally be able to find out if Aya-chan and Horio finally realized their feelings for each other and…"

"DAMN IT, THAT WAS WHAT ALL OF THAT WAS FOR?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs in aggravation as he stood up to his feet. "_Ero-sennin made all of it sound so important. I should have known it would be something like this_."

"Just forget it, Naruto. He's in his own little world now." Sakura said, coming up behind him and patting him on the back.

"_I really want to read this now, but my duties as a shinobi and a teacher come first. I'm sorry Aya-chan, you and your cushions of love will have to wait_." Kakashi thought, abruptly closing the book and slipping it into his back pouch.

"Alright, Kakashi-sensei, why exactly are we…?" Sakura asked impatiently before she was interrupted by a jingling sound. In the copy ninja's hands were three small bells. "What are the bells for?"

"You mean you don't remember? We're going to do the bell test." Kakashi replied, fixing the bells onto his pants.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, didn't we already pass this once? Why do we have to do it again?" Naruto whined.

"I am well aware that you have already passed, Naruto, but one of you hasn't." He said, motioning with his head over to Akane. "The purpose of this bell test is to see how much you two have grown in two and a half years, as well as to see how well Akane works in a three man cell."

"Kakashi-sensei, didn't I already take a test?" Akane asked.

"Yeah, but that was just to see if you had potential. This is a team exercise. And if you three don't pass this test…then team seven will be disbanded and sent back to the academy." Kakashi replied with an ever-famous eye smile. A deadpanned expression then crossed all three of the genin's faces.

"DISBANDED?" Naruto and Sakura screamed in utter surprise. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?"

"I'm dead serious. Think of this test as someone's life. You only get one shot at this, so don't waste it." Kakashi said, closing his newly acquired book, signaling that he was being serious.

"_Okay, calm down. All we have to do is show teamwork like the last time and_…" Sakura's thoughts trailed off as her jounin sensei's voice interrupted her.

"Oh, and just for the record. Unlike last time where I went easy on you, you must actually seize the bells from me, by any means necessary of course." Of course, this sent Sakura into a depressed state almost immediately. Sometimes she wondered if he could read people's minds.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, we'll definitely get through this, just like we always do." Naruto said facing her and giving the pink haired kunoichi a confident smirk. Sakura stared at him in admiration if only for a second, quickly regaining her normal composure.

"Right, Naruto." Sakura replied with a thumbs up of her own. Just like him to be so optimistic.

"So Kakashi-sensei, what exactly are the rules?" Naruto questioned.

"You know, regular shinobi guidelines. Anything goes, sharp and fatal weapons allowed if not recommended, same old same old. There will be no killing your opponent, though, so don't get any bright ideas." Kakashi replied, preparing himself for the upcoming battle.

"Alright, I got it." Naruto reassured.

"But…just because I won't be out to kill you…" Kakashi began, slowly lifting up his hitai-ate. "…doesn't mean that it won't hurt." The silver haired jounin said in an almost sadistical fashion. The trio tensed up at his statement. Although they were very talented, he was still a jounin, and a very powerful one at that. Naruto flinched slightly as he recalled one of Kakashi's most destructive techniques, One Thousand Years of Pain.

"_Kakashi-sensei is really scary when he says things like that_." Akane thought as a look of dread plastered itself on her face.

"You three look like you've come very far, so naturally, I won't be holding back." Kakashi stated as his hitai-ate full completed its upward motion, revealing the all too familiar crimson iris.

"_Kakashi-sensei must really be serious about this, using the sharingan against us this early_." Naruto thought as he gazed in fear into the pupil of the eye, the black commas circling around it as if they were dancing. "_Alright, Naruto, no time to be afraid now. This is my chance to prove myself. I don't want everyone to think almost three years of training was a waste_."

"_Kakashi-sensei is definitely not messing around anymore if he brought…that out_." Sakura choked out, letting a small gulp glide down her throat. "_Get it together, Sakura, this is no time to panic. Today, I'm going to let Tsunade-sama know that her efforts weren't for nothing_."

"_That eye, no…it can't be. That accursed eye, I had no idea that he possessed those eyes. But why does he only have one_?" Akane questioned herself. "_There's no time for that right now, I have to prove that I'm worthy enough to be on Naruto-kun's team_."

"_Looks like they're set on this. Might as well give them something to be proud of_." Kakashi thought to himself as he noticed the look of determination in each and every one of their faces. "Looks like you guys are all serious about this."

"You bet we are Kakashi-sensei. I didn't spend two and a half years working my ass off day by day, living on nothing but whatever I could find, and saving Ero-sennin countless times from hordes of pissed off females for nothing." Naruto remarked as he grabbed the strands of his hitai-ate and pulled on them, tightening it around his head. Kakashi smirked a little at his response.

"_I'm starting to think that maybe Jiraiya-sama isn't exactly the best teacher_." Sakura thought as she laughed awkwardly in her head.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, the Godaime Hokage and her dark haired assistant Shizune watched the whole thing from behind the cover of some trees.

"_Jiraiya isn't exactly what they call 'teaching material_'." Tsunade thought as she let out an exasperated sigh after hearing Naruto's comment.

"Do you think they can do it, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked warily as the ever-playful Tonton rested in her arms. The blonde dynamite curved to her head to her assistant.

"You know as well as I do that I can't honestly answer that question, Shizune." Tsunade answered with a sad smirk. "But we'll just have to wait and see. Actions do speak louder than words after all."

"So are you ready?" Kakashi asked, adjusting his body into a position more suitable for fighting. All three genin gave a curt nod in reply.

Time seemed to stand still for the group as neither party made a single sound or motion. A slight gust of wind blew by, scattering some of the already fallen leaves over to another part of the field. The trees swayed slightly, as if they were shaking from anxiety of it all. Even Tsunade and Shizune kept quiet, waiting for the inevitable clash. The tension in the air was at its peak, as each person stayed completely and utterly focused at the moment.

A single bead of sweat slowly rolled down the left cheek of the Kyuubi container, almost as if it was afraid of falling. The sweatdrop reached the bottom half of his face, gliding past the cheekbones at a snail's pace, and stopping at the base of his chin, barely hanging on for dear life. It finally gave up on hanging on and released itself, plummeting towards the earth in a relatively lengthy fashion.

The moment that one drop touched the ground, it was all over for Naruto Uzumaki.

"This is the end of the line for you…Naruto." Kakashi exclaimed coolly, the icy steel of his kunai scarcely touching the epidermis of the blonde shinobi.

"_What the_…" Naruto thought as he felt the kunai drawing closer to him.

"_Naruto didn't even have a chance to move before Kakashi-sensei completely trapped him_." Sakura exclaimed within her mind as Inner Sakura kept relatively quiet.

"_There's no doubt in my mind that Kakashi-sensei was toying with me when I faced him_. _This is definitely the real Kakashi we are facing_." Akane thought as she was almost paralyzed in fear of is strength.

"It was over before it even started." Kakashi remarked sinisterly, leaning in close to his ear so that he could whisper it in a sort of villainous fashion. Kakashi brought the kunai away from his neck and, with one swift motion, plunged it deep into the base of his jaw.

"I told you that I wasn't going to go easy on you." Akane and Sakura both looked on in shock as they saw the blonde get stabbed right before their eyes, too horrified to even mutter a scream. For some reason, the Kyuubi vessel smirked at Kakashi's latest statement.

"Wouldn't want you to." Naruto whispered into his ear before vanishing into a cloud of smoke. Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment, as did Sakura's and Akane's. The copy ninja flinched ever so slightly when he felt the familiar feel of cold steel being pressed against his back by none other than the future Hokage himself, Naruto Uzumaki.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually trying to kill me, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto remarked, pressing the kunai into Kakashi's flak jacket and nicking the skin a small amount.

"_Hmmm…instead of coming here himself, he sent a clone on ahead with Akane while he hid, waiting for the right moment to strike_." Kakashi thought as a proud grin popped up behind his mask. "Who said I wasn't trying to kill you?" Kakashi responded to his statement.

"I see that you're as sadistic as always." Naruto said within his mind as a small anime sweatdrop rolled down his head. All the while, Sakura and Akane looked on in amazement.

"_I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't of seen it. Naruto actually thought ahead before rushing into something_." Sakura exclaimed in astonishment while Inner Sakura held up a sign that read 'Go Naruto-kun'.

"_Nice move, Naruto-kun. But, we're not out of the woods just yet. We've probably just grazed the entrance_." Akane thought. She knew most of all that Kakashi was anything but beaten.

"Normally, you would have already won, Naruto…" Kakashi stated cheekily as he turned his head to face the blonde. "But…I'm afraid that…" The copy ninja that Naruto had managed to capture then began melting until he was nothing but a small puddle of water.

"We haven't exactly started yet." The jounin finished, suddenly appearing about ten yards away from the three genin.

"HAVEN'T STARTED MY ASS. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ATTACKED ME!" Naruto screamed as he pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"Really? Oh yeah, my bad. I must have forgotten all about that." Kakashi said nonchalantly as he recalled mental pictures of him stabbing Naruto in the throat.

Everyone in the immediate area, including Tsunade and Shizune who were standing behind some bushes, then fell down anime style.

"_Why must every single one of my teachers have something mentally wrong with them_?" Naruto asked himself as he looked down in annoyance.

**(Elsewhere)**

"Wasn't it really nice of Ero-ojisan to take us to the hot springs, Kyu-kun?" Kioko asked her fox companion, who was conveniently situated on her right shoulder as they she gently strolled down the hall in nothing but a towel.

"I suppose, but I can't help but shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. It's as if I sense that an immense amount of bloodshed will fall upon this place very soon." Kyu replied to her question. Kioko knew that the crimson little fox could speak. The first time that she heard him say anything, she was somehow weirdly accepting of it. Then again, when you live in a world with giant yakuza frogs battling and shooting water bullets at gargantuan raccoons who crave the blood of everything that moves, talking foxes seemed relatively normal.

"Nothing bad could possibly happen, Kyu-kun. And even if someone did attack us, Ero-ojisan would protect us. He is a really powerful ninja after all." Kioko responded cheekily.

"Speaking of 'Ero-ojisan', why isn't he following us right now?" Kyu asked her as his eyes darted every which way, searching intently for the white haired sannin.

"Silly Kyu, we're going to the women's onsen. Ero-ojisan isn't allowed to follow us in here." Kioko responded, finally reaching the sliding doors that lead to the nice, relaxing onsen. Kyu tensed up a bit when the blonde bundle of energy mentioned _women's_ onsen.

"Wait, did you say…!" Before Kyu could finish, the doors to the ladies onsen where thrown open by the innocent little Kioko.

There, in all of their glory, were about ten to fifteen beautiful women, basking within the searing steam that the water seemed to continuously give off. Kyu's left eye twitched ever so slightly, as he felt like passing out and dying a happy fox right then and there. But, by some sort of miracle, he managed to keep his cool and continue his illusion of a normal fox.

Kioko stepped lightly into the water, wincing a little at how warm it was. Once her foot was used to the temperature, she fully emerged herself and let out a relaxed sigh.

"Doesn't this feel great, Kyu-kun?" Kioko asked perkily as she turned her head to the fox kit. Not being able to answer verbally, Kyu let out a content purr as the water soaked his fur.

"Oi, close the door. You're letting all the heat out!" A stern voice called out from the mist.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kioko apologized as she quickly ran out of the hotspring to close the door, returning only seconds later.

"Eh, that voice seems familiar. Kioko, is that you?" The same voice asked in a much softer tone.

"Yeah, my name's Kioko. Who are you?" Kioko asked hesitantly as she saw the silhouette of a woman coming towards her through the steam.

"It's just me, Kurenai. You know, from the hokage's office the other day." The lady said as the steam around her seemed to disappear, revealing the crimson eyed jounin.

"Hey, Kurenai-san!" Kioko exclaimed just barely recalling the black haired woman. Kurenai stole a glance at the scarlet fox kit swimming around in the area near the young blonde.

"Wow, its so kawaii. What's his name?" Kurenai asked as she scooped Kyu up and held him up to her chest, where his tiny frame was pressed up against her two giant melons.

"_I have no idea what Naruto is talking about. Kami is definitely a man_." Kyu thought, keeping up his 'cute little fox' act as he snuggled up between her two mounds.

"Oh, his name is Kyu-kun." Kioko answered rather loudly. Her answer got the attention of one of the other women in the springs.

"Did someone say Kyu-kun?" A teenage girl with long brown hair asked hopefully as she stepped out into view. Her eyes rested on the red fox in the arms of the genjutsu mistress, who had closed his eyes in pure bliss

"No way, it is Kyu-kun. Could I please hold him for a second?" The girl asked the crimson eyed kunoichi. Kurenai replied by giving her a warm nod and gently handed her over to the girl. Kyu opened his eyes to see who he had been handed to only to find himself in the clutches of…

"_Ayame-chan_?"

"Oh, Kyu-kun, it's been so long since I last saw you." Ayame exclaimed, holding him in the same fashion as Kurenai did, which was right between her two mounds.

"_The grace of Kami. To let a demon such as I lay my head in the valley of the gods_." Kyu thought as he took absolute pleasure in his fur brushing up against her chest, which was slightly larger than Kurenai's despite her being only sixteen.

A few minutes later, everyone had managed to settle down.

"So, if Kyu-kun is here, does that mean that Naruto-kun is here as well?" Ayame asked the pony-tailed girl.

"Oh no, Naruto-niichan isn't here. He's off training with Kakashi-sensei." Kioko answered back.

"Wait, then how did you get here?" Kurenai interrupted.

"That's easy; Ero-ojisan brought us here." Kioko answered cheekily.

"And just who is this…'Ero-ojisan'?" Both Ayame and Kurenai questioned.

"I'm pretty sure that Naruto-niichan said his name before…let's see…oh yeah, he said it was Jiraiya." Kioko replied. Instantly, both Ayame and Kurenai tensed up at hearing his name. If it really was him, it wouldn't be the first time that Jiraiya tried to pull something like this on either one of them.

Meanwhile, a certain white haired sannin was busy enjoying an excellent view of the female side of the spring through a conveniently placed hole in the fence…which he had made himself.

"_Way to go, Jiraiya. This is possibly one of my best plans yet. Bringing Kioko and Kyu along was a great idea as well. Kioko would distract the women with her childish charm, while that fox would divert their attention by using the whole cute and fuzzy routine, allowing me to peek without any competition. But somehow, I wish I could understand what they were talking about…Woah, look at the chest on her. Kurenai might be a genjutsu expert, but those are definitely not an illusion_." Jiraiya screamed within his mind as he let out a few muffled but perverted giggles.

"_If I lean in closer, I bet I could get a better view_." Jiraiya reasoned as he edged even closer to the fence. Out of nowhere, he wildly sneezed, no doubt the work of his pupil mentioning his name. That one sneeze threw him off balance a bit, causing him to fall forwards and crash into the fence. He fell through, taking most of the fence with him.

Every girl in the immediate area stared at him wide eyed, as he slowly emerged from the water.

"Hmmm…that's strange. The feeling of a mass amount of bloodshed is coming back to me again." Kyu thought crawled out from Ayame's grasp and onto the innocent Kioko's shoulder.

As every female rose from the position, intent on tearing Jiraiya's limbs and certain other parts off of his body, Jiraiya couldn't help but think one thing and one thing only.

"_Naruto_,"

**(Back with Team Seven)**

"Alright, now that we're done playing around, how about we actually start this thing." Kakashi recommended as his face suddenly took on a steely persona.

Once again, team seven and Kakashi stared each other right in the eyes. The sky was perfect for a match like this, as there was not a cloud in the sky.

Naruto stared into Kakashi's right eye, searching for any signals to begin. Akane gripped the kunai she held a little bit tighter. Sakura pulled on the hem of her gloves, making sure that they were properly secure.

"Go!" At that moment, Naruto let loose a random assortment shuriken and kunai at the copy ninja. They whizzed through the air like a swarm of killer bees headed for their intended target.

Being the show of that he was, Kakashi parried the attack by catching most of the projectiles thrown at him. Using the middle and index fingers on each hand he caught four of the opposing shuriken while managing to effectively dodge the others by weaving in and out of them gracefully.

With an equal amount of force, Kakashi sent the same four shuriken, along with a mixture of his own projectiles, back at the trio of genin. At seeing the oncoming weapons, all three of squad seven immediately ducked, the kunai and shuriken missing them only by a hair's breadth. The trio then rose back up to their feet.

"That's not all." Kakashi said silently to himself whilst giving a confident smirk, the three genin not able to hear what he had said. One of the kunai that had missed swerved through the air, as if it were being aimed at something behind them. In actuality, it was. Kakashi never intended to use all of them against the three man squad.

The lone kunai soared through the trees, where it imbedded itself into an oddly place explosive tag, which was lying in wait on a tree. The moment it connected, the explosive tag lit up in almost a river of fire.

"WHAT THE HELL…?" Naruto thought, turning towards the area of the explosion. Akane and Sakura did the same thing at the same time. Sakura stared at the blast site, before realizing one very important detail.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei…" She turned her head back around to find the copy ninja nowhere in sight. It took both Naruto and Akane a few seconds to realize that the detonation had been a ploy on the silver haired jounin's part and they immediately began scanning the vicinity for any sign of him.

"_Damn it, I can't believe I fell for that_." Naruto screamed in his mind while Akane had similar thoughts.

"_Alright, not around us_," Sakura thought looking around their environment. "_Not above us_," She thought again, looking up towards the sky. "_So that means…below us_!"

The pink haired kunoichi fixated her gloves so that they hugged her slender fingers. She fell down onto one knee and raised her right arm high into the air. With all the force that she could muster, her fist came down and smacked into the earth. The result was beyond what any of them could have imagined.

With that one strike, she completely decimated the landscape of training field five. The ground erupted into a sea of debris, dirt, and various roots of trees blasting into air as the solid rock they stood on cracked into giant pieces. The area where she had hit now looked like a badly thought out jigsaw puzzle. In the middle of the destruction was a frightened Kakashi, with a look of terror on his face.

"Found you…Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said coolly as a clever grin plastered itself across her face.

"_Honestly, Tsunade, was it really necessary to teach her that_?" Kakashi asked to no one in particular, let out an exasperated sigh in the process. It was going to be a long test session after all.

"_I better start watching myself around Sakura-chan, or else…she'll kill me_." Naruto gulped as the traditional anime sweatdrop rolled down the back of his forehead.

"Way to go, Sakura-chan! That was awesome." Naruto shouted at her. Sakura blushed a little at the comment.

"**Shannaro, Naruto's attention is all on us**!" Inner Sakura screamed as she performed an arrogant thumbs up. During that bout of self praise, Sakura had let her guard down ever so slightly, giving Kakashi the perfect opportunity to land an attack.

"Rule number one: Never let your guard down…ever." Kakashi spoke as he appeared right in front of the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura, being caught off guard, didn't have enough time to react. Kakashi reached back and grabbed a kunai attempting to bring it down on her in one fluid motion.

Sakura closed her emerald green orbs, ready for Kakashi's strike to connect. She quickly apologized in her mind for being taken out so early in the test.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY," The medic nin heard someone yell. Out of nowhere, a kick imbedded itself right in Kakashi's left cheek, knocking him several feet into the air. Well, it should have knocked him several feet in the air, but instead made his head disappear and be replaced with what looked like water. The rest of the copy nin's body followed suit as it turned into the all familiar liquid.

Sakura opened her eyes slowly to see none other then Akane standing where Kakashi had been.

"What, were you expecting someone more youthful, pinky?" Akane asked her proudly, wondering why on earth Sakura was giving her such a strange look. Immediately Sakura's temper flared up.

"What the hell did you just call me?" Sakura asked irately as she held a fist up to the scarlet haired kunoichi's face.

"I said that you had a…" Akane screamed when she felt a hand on each of her ankles. Once the hands had been situated, they began to tug on her legs with all their might, pulling her underneath the ground in the process. Sakura was able to grab onto one of her wrists and, using her enhanced strength, managed to pull her to safety.

"Hey, I didn't ask for your help, pinky!" Akane remarked as she swatted Sakura's hand off of her.

"Well, fine don't expect it any time soon then." Sakura huffed in response as she turned her head away from the girl in anger.

Kakashi resurfaced far away from the three man genin squad by coming out of the ground. The three of them then kept their focus on Kakashi, wanting to make sure that he didn't escape like last time.

The perverted jounin noticed Akane and Sakura's fighting before he even appeared, but didn't think it would last this long. Instead of visiting the stone like he normally did, he decided to see how well Naruto and Sakura would get along after two and a half years as well Akane and Sakura. Their argument was definitely clouding their judgment and it would ultimately lead to their demise if they didn't put their differences aside and work together. He began to wonder if he really should have put them on the same team.

But, he'd deal with that after the test. Right now, he needed to come up with a plan. He wasn't exactly going to let them win without using every trick and clever scheme that he knew, even if it meant using the two girls dislike for one another against them.

"_Alright, let's go with divide and conquer_." Kakashi thought as he scoped out the three of them.

"_Naruto and Sakura have a long history together and know how to work as a team, so if I split Akane away from them, it won't do me much good_." Kakashi turned his gaze towards Naruto and Akane. "_I'm almost positive that it's the same story for Naruto and Akane, even though they haven't known each other that long. Also, splitting apart all three of them won't do me anything either, as they're all good at one on one battles_." Kakashi reasoned. He was running out of ideas.

Kakashi smirked. "_Which leaves me with cutting Naruto out and using Sakura and Akane's dislike of each other against them_,"

Performing one hand seal, Kakashi decided on using a technique that he didn't expect to see coming. He closed his eyes and focused the chakra and within seconds the area was completely covered by a dense fog.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)," The copy ninja sounded out.

"No way, when did Kakashi-sensei learn this?" Naruto called out as the mist began to envelope the three of them.

"It must have been back when we faced Zabuza. Kakashi probably copied the technique with the sharingan." Sakura responded.

"_Damn it, I can't see anything in this fog_." Akane thought as she looked all around her in vain. She could just barely make out the outline for Naruto's form in the distance. "Naruto-kun, is that you over there?"

"Akane-chan, I'm over here." Naruto's voice replied from every direction.

"_This isn't good. The water particles in the air reflect the sound waves of our voices through the principle of reflection, making it seem as though our voices are coming from every direction_." Sakura thought as she evaluated the situation. "_We can't see anything, but neither can Kakashi-sensei, as proof of the fight with Zabuza. The only purpose for using this would be to take us out individually or to split us a_…_part_…" Sakura then realized what he was attempting to accomplish.

"NARUTO! AKANE! KAKASHI-SENSEI IS TRYING TO…" Before Sakura could reveal what she had figured out, a couple kunai headed directly for her. Sensing danger, she jumped back a foot, managing to avoid the projectiles.

"SAKURA-CHAN, WHAT DID YOU…?" Naruto was cut short as another set of shuriken came hurtling towards him, which he barely managed to dodge by performing a series of back flips.

Sakura began to brainstorm on any strategies that Kakashi was using. As she thought, her foot started tapping subconsciously. Another set of kunai then came out of the distance, headed straight for Sakura's foot. She jumped back yet again to avoid, then waited a couple seconds. During that time of silence, absolutely nothing seemed to happen. That was when Sakura thought up an idea.

She pulled out a kunai from her back pouch, twirling it around with her finger before catching it. She then threw it towards the ground a couple yards away. The moment the kunai hit the ground, the area around it was completely covered in shuriken in less than a second.

"_That's strange, he only seems to attack if something makes a noise_…_I knew_ _Kakashi-sensei wasn't using his eyes to find us; he's following us by sound alone. And since the water particles reflect our sound waves, it makes it even easier for him to pinpoint our location and attack_." Sakura thought as a drop of sweat rolled down her face. The sweatdrop then began to plummet towards the ground. Sakura caught it in midair before it managed to do so.

"_He's using the oldest strategy in the book, divide and conquer. By creating this mist, he intends to separate us and then perhaps pick us off one by one. I have to find the others_." Sakura said as she took off in a random direction, keeping her footsteps light as not to attract attention. "_But I should find Naruto first; he's not exactly the sharpest kunai in the bunch_."

Meanwhile, in another area of the mist covered battlefield, Akane was in a seemingly similar predicament.

"_I can't see a thing in this mist. This is really bad. But…it's strange that Kakashi-sensei hasn't attacked yet. What if_…_he can't see either? Then that would mean_…_of course, why didn't I see it sooner_." Akane thought as she mentally scolded herself for being so absentminded.

"HEY, KAKASHI-SENSEI!" The crimson haired kunoichi yelled into the open. Almost immediately, a response formed as hordes of kunai and shuriken came plunging at her position. Akane noted the direction at which they came from and dodged to the left accordingly. As if it were a reflex, Akane performed the necessary handseals as soon as she landed, and with one mighty breath…

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)," Akane released a giant ball of fire at the direction from where Kakashi's shuriken approached her, colliding with the water particles in the air and creating even more steam along the way. Sure enough, the fireball exploded as Akane could just barely make out the sight of multiple copies of Kakashi turning into water.

"_So that's his plan. He focuses on keeping up the Kirigakure no Jutsu while Mizu Buushin (Water Clones) perform the attacks. I have to find Naruto-kun and tell him about this_." Akane decided as she also ran off in another direction.

Elsewhere, Naruto was also having a predicament as well, but unlike the other two; he didn't exactly have the IQ to figure out Kakashi's plan.

"Crap, crap, crap! How does Kakashi-sensei keep finding me?" Naruto yelled out as he ran for his life. He was currently being chased by the masses of shuriken and kunai raining down on him from above.

He dove for the ground, hitting the earth and sliding to a halt. He placed his hands over his head, waiting for the kunai to finish him off. After a few moments of silence, Naruto opened his eyes to find that the barrage had completely stopped. He waited a few more seconds just to make sure.

"Did I lose him?" Naruto asked himself. The moment the words exited his mouth, another salvo of shuriken and kunai headed straight for him. Naruto then sloppily dodged them all, barely managing to escape with only a few minor cut, which the Kyuubi's chakra healed almost instantly.

It became quiet once more as Naruto stopped making noise whatsoever. The kunai and shuriken onslaught once again came to halt.

"_Wait, Kakashi-sensei is only attacking…if I…make… a …noise…I am so stupid_." Naruto thought as he mentally slapped himself. He really needed to start paying attention more during fights.

Elsewhere, Kakashi had found himself a nice place to hide amongst the forest and control everything from a distance.

"_Hmmm…I can't seem to hear any trace of them anymore. They must have caught on to my strategy_." Kakashi thought as he focused on the sounds around him.

The copy nin huffed.

"_Took them long enough. Anyway, just because you guys figured it out doesn't mean that you're out of the woods just yet. Or should I say, mist_." Kakashi then performed another handseal.

"Mizu Buushin no Jutsu." With that Kakashi created another set of water based doppelgangers.

"_Enough standing on the sidelines. It's time to teach these kids why teamwork is so important_." Kakashi thought, leaping into the blanket of mist with five copies of himself following right behind.

Sakura ran through the dense fog searching for the Kyuubi vessel, unaware that Kakashi was now hunting them down. She really hoped that she wouldn't run into Akane. Her and Naruto's teamwork was far better and she didn't want to deal with the girl's insults at the moment.

Out in the distance, the pink haired medic nin could faintly make out the spiky, blonde hair of Naruto. She silently ran up to him, hoping that she wasn't just seeing things.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whispered trying desperately to get her attention.

"Naruto, be quiet!" Sakura whispered firmly as she covered his mouth with her hand.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. I've been making plenty of noises lately and Kakashi-sensei hasn't done anything." Naruto reassured her.

"Wait, you, the Naruto Uzumaki, actually figured Kakashi-sensei's strategy out." Sakura asked him disbelievingly.

"Well, yeah. At first, I didn't quite get how he was able to follow me, but then I noticed that every time I made a noise, Kakashi-sensei would attack me. So, I put two and two together and here we are." Naruto explained. Sakura stared at him for a moment with blank expression on her face. In a split second, her fist connected with his head, dislodging it from the rest of his body, which converted into a puddle of water instantly.

"_Do you honestly think that Naruto could figure out something as complicated as that? You'll have to do better if you want to get me Kakashi-sensei_." Sakura thought as she stared down at the puddle of water.

"Hey, Pinky-san." Akane said as she ran up to Sakura. The emerald eyed kunoichi started to picture scenes of her throwing kunai at Akane inside her mind as she turned her head towards her unwanted visitor.

"We need to find a way out of this fog before Kakashi-sensei finds us. Have you seen Naruto-kun?" Akane asked her.

"Well, yes and no." Sakura replied, thinking back to her encounter with the mizu buushin just now. The moment she finished her sentence, fifteen mizu buushins in the form of Kakashi surrounded them in a circular pattern.

Sakura and Akane stood back to back, both of them holding a kunai and ready to fight to the death if necessary. The Kakashi clones prepared to strike when all of a sudden, a random assortment of kunai and shuriken assaulted them from out of nowhere, destroying each and every one of them. The silhouette of a spiky haired boy then appeared before the two of them.

"Sorry, I'm late. I found a baby bird with a broken wing on the way here and I couldn't just leave it there." The boy, who just happened to be the one and only hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, said in a tone that was obviously mocking Kakashi.

"Please, Naruto-kun, spare us the perverted sensei act." Akane said playfully with a smirk on her face.

More and more mizu buushin seemed to converge on their location and soon, they were completely surrounded.

"Sakura-chan, Akane-chan, you need to go now." Naruto said in a more serious and determined tone.

"Like we would just leave…" Akane began as she was interrupted by Naruto.

"Akane-chan, just listen to me. We all know that we won't last much longer like this. You two need to get out of here while you still can. And don't try to play the heroine by saying that I should take off, my kage buushin would last longer than just one person by themselves. I hold them off as long as possible but you two need to get away and think of a plan." Naruto explained as even more mizu buushin appeared, almost making an entire ocean of Kakashi clones around them.

"But, Naruto…"

"Akane-san, do you not have any faith in Naruto." Sakura said wisely. "I don't want to abandon him either, but we're out of ideas and we would just be wasting our time by staying here."

Akane stood there for a moment, mulling over the situation, before giving her answer.

"You two have to leave, otherwise we won't win. Go, NOW!" Startled, both Akane and Sakura departed, leaving Naruto in the middle of nearly one hundred mizu buushin.

"Looks like Akane and Sakura deserted you, Naruto." The real Kakashi exclaimed from somewhere among the multitude of clones.

"They didn't desert me, Kakashi-sensei. I told them to go." Naruto replied with a grin. "Before we could stand any chance against you, they needed to work out whatever got them so mad at each other, so I gave them some time."

"_Seems like Naruto grasped the idea of this exercise, let's see if Akane and Sakura can pull through for him_." Kakashi thought as he looked on proudly at the blonde.

"But can you last long enough for them to return?" Kakashi asked.

"You bet your new Icha Icha Paradise I can." Naruto replied putting his hands together.

"TAJUU KAGE BUUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"

**(With Akane and Sakura)**

The both of them had managed to escape relatively unscathed, minus a few minor cuts and bruises. The currently hid among the trees of the forest, where the mist was scarce, allowing great visibility. Akane plopped herself down onto the ground while Sakura leaned up against a tree, her eyes shut and trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, Akane-san, do you have any ideas?" Sakura asked her, lifting up off of the tree and opening her eyes. She looked around to find Akane dashing straight back into the mist.

"_What the hell is she doing_?" Sakura took to the trees and began to chase after her.

"AKANE, STOP!" The pink haired kunoichi ordered as Akane seemed to be getting farther and farther away. In an effort to impede her movement, Sakura tossed a couple shuriken in her direction. The projectiles implanted themselves right in front of Akane, momentarily throwing her off, which gave Sakura the opportunity to catch up to her.

The medic nin leapt from the trees, tackling Akane to the ground. She picked the red haired girl up by her collar and slammed her against a tree.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Sakura screamed.

"Let go of me, we have to go save Naruto-kun. It was a mistake to leave him there and…." Akane began before she was interrupted by a furious Sakura.

"And do what, die? Akane, Kakashi-sensei isn't playing around with us. This isn't some game where if we lose then we just start over again, this is the real deal." Sakura responded angrily, gripping the girl tighter.

"But, Naruto-kun is…"

"…more then capable of handling himself. He knows what he's doing Akane. I know this because I've been on a team with him for a long time." Sakura interrupted yet again. "He trusted us enough to let us go and think of a way to get out of this mess and you're about to throw it all away." Sakura finished. They stood like that for what seemed minutes as everything around them fell silent.

"…I'm…I'm sorry, Sakura-san, it's just really hard to leave Naruto-kun like that. As long as I've known him, he's been alone. Hated by everyone, despised by all. I feel like that if I leave him by himself for even a second, someone will come and take him away from me." Akane apologized in a soft voice. Sakura let go of the girl, who then sat on the ground, the pink haired kunoichi following suit.

"You like him, don't you?" Sakura asked in a low voice, Akane giving her a curt nod in reply. "I thought so." Again, another long-term silence.

"I think I'm beginning to understand why he made us go. This exercise is about teamwork…and you and me both haven't been showing a lot of it." Sakura remarked, feeling guilty. Akane's head rose as an idea popped in her head.

"I guess we did sort of get off on the wrong foot. But…" Akane said standing to her feet and holding out her hand. "…I'm willing to start over, if you are." Sakura stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, before standing up and taking it. As they shook hands this time, there wasn't any sign of animosity between them and both girls had a genuine smile on their faces.

"Akane-san, I think I might have a plan…that is, if you're willing to trust me." Sakura said.

"Yeah, I trust you. So, let's show Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun what a pair of kickass kunoichi can do." Akane responded doing her own variation of the nice guy pose.

**(With Naruto and Kakashi)**

"Looks like we've got you surrounded, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto remarked as almost a thousand kage buushin completely encircled Kakashi and ten mizu buushin.

"If you really think you've got me, then you don't know me very well." Kakashi smirked as he began to perform a series of handseals.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique)" All of the mizu buushin formed a circle pointing outwards and released a barrage of small fireballs, almost like a machine gun would. The balls hit their targets perfectly as the hundreds of Naruto buushin turned into a sea of white smoke.

"Looks like we found you." Kakashi said cockily, looking down at Naruto as he stood right in front of him. An expression of shock crossed Naruto's face as he tried to recall just how Kakashi-sensei managed to beat almost a thousand kage buushin in one move. On the very fringes of his vision, he noticed the faint outlines of Sakura and Akane, signaling that they had a plan. That same expression of shock was then replaced by a smug smirk.

"Did you?" Naruto said as he unzipped his jacket quickly, revealing explosive tags covering his chest in the form of a shirt.

"Boom," The spiky haired blonde said coolly as he erupted in a pillar of flames. Kakashi leapt into the air, the explosion barely scorching the bottom of his pants and shinobi boots.

Acting quickly, Akane bounded into the air with an outstretched hand, intent on retrieving the bells before Kakashi knew what had hit him. This plan might have worked on a genin or maybe a low ranked chuunin, but he was in a completely different league then they were. He shifted his weight in the air, effectively dodging her bout. He then rotated his body, sending a kick straight into her abdomen.

"Nice…but not nice enough!" Kakashi remarked. Almost instantly, Akane vanished in a puff of smoke. Kakashi's gaze widened, before turning back to the spot Naruto had been. What seemed to be the real Akane was now running off into the woods with Naruto.

"They're not getting away that easily." Kakashi said intent on following them.

**(In the Forest)**

Kakashi leapt from tree to tree gracefully, right on the tail of Naruto and Akane. The two genin stopped in their tracks, as if they were waiting for something to happen. Kakashi, sensing that their sudden behavior signified a trap, decided to fling a couple of shuriken at them. The projectiles connected, causing both Naruto and Akane to disappear yet again.

"_You know, that kage buushin thing is starting to get old, Naruto_," Kakashi thought as he let out an exasperated sigh.

Having lost track of them, Kakashi decided to trek even deeper into the forest. Time seemed to go on forever with each tree he passed, and there was absolutely no sign of his genin students.

He paused for a break, stopping on a nearby branch. Opening a hidden compartment on is person, he pulled out a small canteen of water and began to drink. Of course, he had perfected the art of eating and drinking through a mask, so taking it off wasn't necessary.

In a split second, Kakashi found himself pinned to the tree by various kunai and sharp weapons, as well as surrounded by assorted explosive notes.

"Hmmm…this could be unfortunate." Kakashi remarked nonchalantly. The traps then exploded, apparently taking out the relaxed Kakashi. Halfway into the explosion, Kakashi appeared on the ground below, his new Icha Icha Paradise book in his hands.

Out of nowhere, Akane, Sakura, and Naruto appeared and encircled the copy ninja.

"So, you still think that you can take me on?" Kakashi asked, his hands turning a page in the emerald colored book.

"We don't think we can, we know we can. Because now we're all about teamwork." Akane answered as she prepared herself to attack.

"Oh, really. Well, let's see what you've got then. I'll even give you a handicap. I'll only use one of my hands." Kakashi responded while waving with his right hand, the left currently occupied with holding up his novel.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei, I never could understand why you were so wrapped up in that book." Naruto began. "During the trip, Ero-sennin gave me a copy of that exact same book and I have to say, the plot was sort of boring." Kakashi's ears began to perk up at this. "I mean, at the end when that Aya girl and Horio guy finally got together and…"

"Crap, he's going to reveal the ending of the book. I have to close my ears. Crap, the sharingan reads the movement of his lips." Kakashi thought, putting his hands over his ears and covering his eyes.

The moment that happened, a red haired kunoichi jumped out of some bushes off to the side and dashed towards Kakashi, managing to grab the bells in the process.

"NARUTO-KUN, WE DID IT!" Akane screamed as she tackled Naruto the ground and lay on top of him. Sakura, who was standing near a tree, growled in anger and smashed her fist against it, shattering it into thousands of wooden splinters.

Kakashi opened his eyes and uncovered his ears after hearing Akane's screech of joy.

"We got you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura bragged, seemingly over her jealousy as she gave him the peace sign. "The truth was, Naruto had only read the first ten pages of the book before throwing it away."

It was then that Kakashi realized exactly what had happened. While it wasn't exactly stylish, they did manage to get the bells, and that's what counted in the long run. They worked as a team, planned everything out, and even used his most obvious weakness against him.

"Alright, alright, you got me. Congratulations on passing the test and all that. Tsunade, you can come out now." Kakashi yelled into the woods.

"Hey, Obaa-chan, we passed." Naruto managed to choke out as he was still being strangled by Akane's grip.

"So I see. Anyway, I'm proud to announce the new team seven: Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Akane Uzumaki. You three will report to my office tomorrow morning, so don't be late." Tsunade finished.

"Wait, Akane Uzumaki?" Sakura asked confused as she stared daggers at Naruto.

"Well, what do you know, time to go home already. See ya, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, pretending to look at his watch. Grabbing Akane's hand, he took off in the direction of his house.

"NARUTO, I'M GOING TO GET YOU!!!"

**(The Next Day: Hokage's Office)**

The brand new team seven, consisting of Naruto, Akane, and Sakura, walked through the door of the Hokage's office, followed by the surprisingly early Kakashi.

"Hey, Obaa-chan, do we get to go on a good mission?" Naruto asked, stifling out a yawn. It was, after all, still very early in the morning.

"It depends on what you mean by…good." Tsunade asked as she smirked sinisterly. At seeing this, the blonde shinobi couldn't help but feel that things were about to get very, very troublesome.

"So, what exactly is our mission, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Well, after giving it some deep thought, I decided to go with an escort mission." Tsunade answered.

"And who exactly would we be…escorting?" Akane asked hesitantly. As if on cue, the person in question stepped into the room. Everyone's heads turned to see…

"T-Temari-chan?" Naruto stared disbelievingly.

"Been a long time, hasn't it, Naruto-kun?" Temari said seductively, her fingers tracing over his shoulders as she walked past him. Naruto's face instantly turned beet red at her delicate touch, while both Akane and Sakura gave her a death glare that even made shinigami (Japanese death god) shudder in fear.

During this time, Naruto noticed that Kakashi began to leave the room.

"Kakashi-sensei, where are you going?" Naruto asked fearfully. If he wanted to make it through this mission with his limbs and 'other parts' in tact, he was going to need the copy ninja.

"Well, first I'm going back to sleep when I get home, then I might take a walk around the park if I have the time, and lastly, catch up with my…reading." Kakashi answered back sarcastically.

"WAIT, YOU'RE NOT COMING WITH US!" Naruto shouted. He was definitely screwed now.

"If you would have stayed around and listened yesterday instead of running off with Akane-san, you would have known that today was Kakashi-sensei's scheduled day off." Sakura answered for her sensei.

"Then, who's going to be our…?" Naruto instantly froze up as he felt the cold steel of a kunai pressed against his cheek and nicking his skin, drawing a small amount of blood in the process.

"My, my, what do we have here? Looks like you're all grown up, Naru-kun." The sinister yet seductive voice of none other than Anko Mitarashi said as she wrapped her body around him and lapped up the blood with her tongue, making him shudder in the process.

He was right, things were about to get very, very troublesome.

**(End Chapter Nine)**

Well, there you go. Drop a review if you like it, but you don't have to, and all that good stuff and whatever. Hopefully I won't die on the way up or back down here. That would really put a damper on my weekend.

Until next time.


	10. The Road to Suna

Hey guys and gals, it's good to be back. For those of you wondering why this chapter took so long, it was because I had to take a week long camping trip without technology, which I mentioned in the last chapter, plus some random other crap.

I'd really just like to thank all of you who take the time to read this. This is the first story that I've ever written before and it's really helps when I'm rereading and checking for mistakes at three in the morning to know that some people actually like this.

I digress, but anyway, here is chapter ten of On the Wings of Destiny

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi or Inner Persona talking**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter 10: The Road to Suna**

"SOUND THE ALARM, WE'RE UNDER…" A Chuunin class nin, loyal to the village of Iwagakure called out to his comrades. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as a purple haze surrounded him entirely. Instantly, he and all of those in the vicinity fell to the ground in a sort of unconscious state. Their pupils dilated and a slight drop of drool rolled down the corner of many of their mouths, almost as if they were suffocating.

The white haired, heavily built ANBU from before gently strolled up to the Iwa chuunin, his hands settled gently in his pockets as a couple of coughs escaped the back of his throat. The chuunin lifted his head up spastically, as if struggling to live.

"Please…h-have mercy…on…m-me?" The Iwa nin managed to choke out fearfully, staring into the cold amethyst eyes of his executioner. The man, known as Gaidoku, gazed down at him for a second, before reaching into his left pocket and pulling out none other than a cigarette. Using a lighter on his person to enflame it, he grabbed the Iwa nin's chin and lifted it up; inserting the cigarette into the man's mouth before setting his head back down.

"Have…a smoke." Gaidoku responded coupled with his signature coughing fit, placing his hands back into his pockets and walking off into the distance.

"_I-I'm…still alive. Thank Kami, I'm alive_." The Iwa nin sighed in his head as he took a puff of the cigarette Gaidoku had given him. It was then that he began to taste the distinct flavor of the smoke. Why he thought about something so petty at a time such as this was beyond him. Putting that random thought a side, his eyes rested on the cigarette in his mouth. There was some strange mark at the butt of the smoke, and he was curious as to what it was. He read the mark, which turned out to be a kanji.

"_Explode_?" The Iwa nin said within his mind in a confused tone…and then it hit him.

"_Shit!_"

The cigarette then exploded in an unsystematic mixture of fire and smoke, enveloping the upper half of his body and burning it to a crisp. As he walked, Gaidoku remained unfazed by the explosion and lit another cigarette for himself.

Out of a nearby tree, the familiar lanky frame of Toshi leapt onto the ground near the cigarette addicted ANBU.

"What the hell did you kill him for dumbass; you could jeopardize the entire mission." The brown haired Toshi yelled angrily as he grabbed the front of Gaidoku's vest. The white haired man quickly pulled out yet another cigarette, staring blankly into Toshi's eyes all the while.

"Have…a smoke," Gaidoku replied impassively.

"_He expects me to smoke that thing after what just happened_." Toshi thought while sweatdropping, letting go of Gaidoku's outfit in the process.

"Calm down, Toshi. If anything, he made the later stages of the mission even more of a success." The cold, impassive voice of Hikari stated as she also stepped out into the open, her bird mask still covering her facial features.

"Oh really, and how come I wasn't informed about these 'later stages'?" Toshi asked agitatedly.

"Simple…you're an idiot." Hikari replied, earning a small smirk from Gaidoku as he took another puff of his cigarette as well as a look of malice from Toshi. Of course, none of this fazed the unmovable Hikari.

"It is because…he was weak. The way he…groveled at the…enemy's feet, the…way he showed…fear; there is no…room for weakness or fear…in the shinobi profession." The white haired ANBU added, inserting his signature coughing fit. "But, enough…of this; Hikari, count…the number of…"

"There are exactly sixty two Iwa shinobi in this camp, forty one genin, nineteen chuunin, and two jounin." Hikari stated, folding her arms.

"Good, combined with…the others, that should take…care of phase one. Toshi, you know…what to do." Gaidoku remarked, stepping out of the way. Toshi nodded, proceeding to place a special tag onto the ground in front of them. Once his task was complete, the lanky ANBU stepped back. The tag began to glow, a yellowish aura surrounding it, while emitting sequence of invisible pulses.

Taking another tag out of his back pocket, Toshi placed the new tag beside the glowing one. The new tag, inscribed with the word 'genjutsu' on it, began to glow green. Once it did, the entire encampment of Iwa shinobi suddenly disappeared.

"Both the signal tag and the genjutsu tag are in place. The second team should be here any minute to retrieve them." Toshi stated, trying to be professional.

"Alright, our work here…is done. Let's…go already; I really…need my…breathing machine." Gaidoku ordered, taking to the trees while Hikari and Toshi followed close behind. Toshi stared at the retreating form of Gaidoku, who began to increase his pace.

"_It's hard to believe that someone as terminally ill as him could completely annihilate twenty different camps, full of high ranking ninja_." Toshi thought. "_And her, Hikari; despite being lower than him could have successfully completed this mission by herself. Plus, the fact that she is a…_"

"Toshi, quit being a burden and pick up the pace already!" Hikari ordered, effectively cutting off Toshi's thoughts.

"Alright, I'm coming already."

**(Tsunade's Office)**

"My, my, what do we have here? Looks like you're all grown up, Naru-chan." The sinister yet seductive voice of none other than Anko Mitarashi said as she wrapped her body around him and lapped up the blood with her tongue, making him shudder in the process.

He was right, things were about to get very, very troublesome.

"Stop it, Anko. I didn't call you here to…give impure thoughts to teenagers." Tsunade ordered, stopping mid-sentence to reword it into a more appropriate fashion. Reluctantly, Anko released him, but managed to drape her hands all over him in the process.

"Wait, did you say…Anko?" Naruto questioned, fearing the inevitable.

"Yes, I did." Tsunade answered curtly.

"As in Anko…the crazy snake lady that was also the proctor for the second exam?" Naruto asked again.

"Yep, one in the same." Tsunade answered quirking an eyebrow at him.

Naruto sighed.

"_Shit_,"

"I just can't believe how much you've grown up, Naru-chan. It's like it was only yesterday that you took the second exam, your messy blonde hair, overconfident attitude; you were definitely one of a kind alright." Anko said nostalgically as she swung her arms around his neck and buried herself in his back. During this time, Akane, Sakura, and Temari were all staring daggers at her, while Tsunade and Kakashi sweatdropped.

"If you're done reminiscing, I think it would be best to let go of him, Anko, lest he end up like his…sensei." Tsunade remarked, a vein popping out of her forehead.

"Well…we wouldn't want Naru-chan to turn into a pervert like Jiraiya." Anko said releasing him and brushing off the back of his jacket with her hand, accidentally running her hand over his rear end, which in turn sent shivers up the blonde's spine. At his response, a wicked smile grin crossed the special jounin's face. The killer intent radiating off of the trio of girls went through the roof as a sort of disturbingly evil aura radiated off of them.

"_How she manages to say that with a straight face is beyond me_." Both Tsunade and Kakashi thought simultaneously, accompanied by a rather large sweatdrop.

"Ahem…Anyway, team seven is to meet at the west entrance of Konoha. You have exactly one hour to pack so use it wisely. Also, pack extensively because this trip will be at the least two days long if everything goes smoothly. Once at the gate, you will receive a more complex briefing of this mission." Tsunade explained as she read off of a piece of paper. "So…do you accept? If not, I could always find another…"

"I was really hoping for a really exciting mission, maybe one where I could fully test how much I've grown in a real situation." Naruto interrupted as he took a step forward towards the Godaime's desk. "Temari-chan is one of my precious people, and I'd rather make sure that she makes it home safely than go on some exciting mission any day." He finished.

"If Naruto-kun is in it, then I guess I am to." Akane stated walking up to him and standing right beside him.

"Well I don't want to be the only one out of this." Sakura said, taking the other side of Naruto.

"And you guys can't go without a leader, now can you?" Anko added.

"Then it's settled, meet at the western entrance in one hour. Dismissed." Tsunade commanded as Naruto, Sakura, and Akane shuffled out of the room. Anko proceeded to leave as well, before she was stopped by the blonde hokage's voice.

"Except for you, Anko. I need to have a word with you." Tsunade commanded. "Temari-san, if you would." She asked, the Suna Kunoichi responding with a quick nod before leaving the room. But, with a brush of her hand against the doorpost, she was able to place a specialized tag on it.

"_I better listen in on this. It has to be important to the mission if I was asked to leave the room. Plus, that Anko chick scares the hell out of me_." She thought before completely walking off, intent on retrieving the tag after the conversation.

"Anko…there is a reason I put you on this mission. I gave Kakashi a day off just so you could accompany team seven." Tsunade began; taking a sip of what she thought was sake out of a glass. Upon it entering her mouth, she immediately winced at the taste. "_Damn it, Shizune, I told you sake_."

"And why exactly would you do that, Tsunade-sama?" Anko questioned, actually being serious for once.

"Because, I knew that Kakashi would never agree to the assignment I'm about to give you." Tsunade responded, handing her a relatively small scroll. Anko unrolled it quickly and began to read over its contents with a surprised look on her face.

"You…do realize that this could jeopardize the treaty between our two villages…" Anko started.

"Yes…but this needs to be done to ensure the safety of Konohagakure and you are one of our best in this field." Tsunade effectively cut her off.

"I will accept this, Tsunade-sama, but I would still like to know why me of all shinobi?" Anko asked.

"Because…" Tsunade began to answer as a malicious smirk crossed her face. "It's quite enjoyable to mess with Naruto's mind."

Anko immediately smirked sinisterly.

"Why Tsunade-sama, who knew you could be so…sadistic."

"What…I have my moments."

**(Uzumaki Residence)**

"_Alright, Obaa-chan said that this trip could be at least two days long, so I'm going to need some extra clothes_." Naruto thought as he took an extra outfit out of his closet, which happened to be filled with orange outfits, minus the clothes he bought at the store.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, are you ready yet?" Akane asked as she stepped into the room, a small backpack on her back.

"Yeah, Akane-chan, just give me a couple of seconds and meet me at the front door." The blonde replied, placing a few more kunai and shuriken in his bag.

"Naruto-kun, come on, we're going to be late." Akane yelled impatiently from the direction of the front door.

"I'm coming," Naruto retorted as he began to make his way towards the main hallway, passing by Kioko's room on the way. The door to the blonde girl's room was open and she was sleeping soundly with Kyu cuddled up next to her. His brotherly instincts kicking in, Naruto couldn't help but go and give her a goodbye. He ran up to her slumbering form and gave her a light peck on her forehead.

"See ya, Kioko-chan." He whispered softly before turning around and preparing to head out the door.

"Naruto-niichan, where are you going?" Kioko asked, rubbing her eyes in a drowsy manner. Naruto cringed a bit at her voice. He had really hoped that she wouldn't wake up.

"Well…Akane-chan and I have to go on a mission for a couple of days." Naruto answered as he rubbed the back of his head in an awkward fashion.

"Oh…" Kioko said gloomily. As if some curse, Naruto couldn't leave her like this.

"I guess…you could come and see us off." Naruto added reluctantly.

"REALLY? Come on, let's go." Kioko yelled as she quickly got dressed and rushed out of the room, dragging Naruto out with her and bringing Kyu with her.

**(West Gate of Konohagakure)**

"_Alright, made it just in time_." Sakura thought to herself as she approached the western gate's entrance, carrying a small backpack with her.

"Hey, Sakura, you made it." Temari remarked as the pink haired kunoichi came into her view.

"Hello, Temari-san." Sakura replied, stopping in front of her and surveying the area. "Am I the first one here?"

"Yes, Akane, Anko, and Naruto-ku…I mean Naruto have all not shown up yet." Temari said, quickly fixing her mistake. Sakura stared at her suspiciously. Since when did Temari call him Naruto-kun, or for that matter, when did she ever use honorifics on any of her peers. Noticing that Sakura looked at her weirdly, Temari quickly turned around in an awkward fashion.

"Sakura…may I ask you a question?" Temari asked uneasily, still not facing the medic nin.

"Ummm…sure, I guess." Sakura responded, wondering what question Temari would want answered of her.

"How…long have you…known Naruto?" Was the question that she asked as she finally turned around to face her.

"Well…I'd say…since the academy. Why do you want to know that?" Sakura asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"Well…I…" Temari stuttered. "_Alright, pull yourself together. No need to be afraid_." She thought, giving herself a pep talk. "I was wondering if…you know what kind of…girls…Naruto prefers." Instantly, Sakura felt a chill down her spine.

"_Please…PLEASE, don't tell me that she has a thing for Naruto to_." Sakura prayed as inner Sakura folded her hands in a reverent manner and prayed as well.

"Hold on, don't get me wrong. It's not because I…like him or anything like that. It's strictly from a political standpoint." Temari remarked, waving her hands in front of her, having thought that Sakura would get the wrong idea.

"And…how exactly does knowing what size bust Naruto prefers have anything to do with politics?" Sakura asked sarcastically. Normally, she would refrain from saying something as vulgar as that, but after seeing his 'friend' Akane, plus the three year trip with the author of a porn novel, she had her doubts about him. Of course, she didn't really mean that, she was just messing with the sand kunoichi.

Temari shuddered, not having a good comeback to her response. She was mildly offended that Sakura would say something like that about him.

"Relax, Temari-san, I'm only kidding. I know for a fact that Naruto isn't like that." Sakura assured her. "But why would you want to know something like that?"

"Well…I…" Temari started, before she was effectively cut off by the loud sound of an all too familiar blonde.

"HEY TEMARI-CHAN, SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto called out as he, Akane, and Kioko approached them; waving his hands in the air as to get their attention.

"Hello, Naruto..." Temari answered back. It was then that Kyu jumped off of his perch on Kioko's shoulder and onto Temari's. "Oh, hey Kyu-kun. Have you been a good boy since the last time I saw you?" She asked the fox as she, like many women before her, snuggled him between her breasts.

"_More or less_," Kyu responded within his mind as he recalled the impure thoughts he had while being held by Kurenai and Ayame the day before.

"_I bet that bastard is enjoying this_." Naruto thought angrily as he watched the position the fox kit was in. Out of nowhere, Kioko came up and snatched Kyu from Temari's grasp.

"Oh Kyu-kun, did that mean lady hurt you." Kioko soothed him as she stroked his fur gently. Temari stared at the strange girl weirdly.

"Sorry, that's my little sister Kioko. She's very…possessive of her pets." Naruto explained as he ruffled the little blonde's hair, provoking that all familiar giggle to escape her mouth.

"Since when do you have a little sister? I thought you were an only child." Sakura stated in a confused manner.

"Well, you see…" Naruto began as the images of Daichi stabbing Kioko through the heart and Kioko's lifeless body lying on the floor began to surge through his mind. "…I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh…I see." Sakura said sadly. She obviously brought up some bad memory and she knew better than to prod at him like that. It was only natural that he'd have something he didn't want to share, on account of being hated all his life.

"Hey, why is everyone so gloomy?" A voice asked as it whispered into Naruto's ear. This caused the blonde ninja to jump back in fright.

"ANKO-SENSEI, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" The blonde shinobi yelled at the snake obsessed jounin.

"Oh, is poor little Naru-chan scared? Would you like me to…make you feel better?" Anko asked in the most seductive way possible.

"I…don't think that will be necessary." He responded uneasily.

"Hey, Naruto." A male voice called out in the distance. Naruto immediately turned to its direction, recognizing exactly who it was.

"Iruka-sensei, over here." The blonde yelled as he saw his favorite teacher approaching him.

"It's good to see you, Naruto. But, we really don't have time to talk." The academy instructor said as his eyes and voice took on a serious tone.

"What do you mean, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned.

"I need to speak to you in private, as in alone." Iruka responded, pulling Naruto over to the side, away from his female teammates.

"Alright, so what is it Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked perplexed, hoping that it wouldn't take to long.

"It has been brought to my attention that you're about to leave on a mission." Iruka started, before he was interrupted by the Kyuubi container.

"I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a mission." Naruto said with a passive face.

"It's not exactly the…'mission' that I'm worried about." The brown haired chuunin answered back, sending a glance in the direction of Anko. The dango obsessed jounin caught his look and sent back a mischievous wink of her own, causing him to shudder in fear. "To keep it simple, don't let your guard down, try not to do anything you'll regret, and most importantly, if there is no other way, use…protection." Iruka barely managed to choke out the last part with a somewhat straight face.

"I don't need to worry about protection, Iruka-sensei. I can just use the jutsu that I learned." Naruto said with a sheepish grin, completely missing the hidden meaning behind the entire conversation.

"_What the…did Jiraiya teach Naruto some sort of birth control technique? Anyway, I have to be sure he didn't misunderstand what I said_." Iruka thought, hoping against all hope that the toad sannin didn't teach Naruto what he thought he taught. "So…does the technique work?"

"Of course it works. I would know; I've used it a whole bunch of times." Naruto responded.

"_THERE'S NO WAY, NARUTO GOT LAID BEFORE ME; AND MORE THAN ONCE_?" Iruka screamed in his mind as his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Actually, I might have even used it over five hundred times since I was twelve." Naruto added, counting the instances where he used the technique. Iruka's brain almost went into shock. "Wait, I forgot to count the time where me and my clones went at that Haku girl in the land of waves. No, wait he turned out to be a boy. But man, that was really intense. By the time it ended, I was completely out of breath." That last sentence sent Iruka over the deep end as he grabbed Naruto by the neck and began to violently shake him.

"NARUTO, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO BOY OF ALL THINGS? I THOUGHT I TAUGHT YOU BETTER THAN THAT." The academy instructor yelled out as Naruto struggled to get air in his lungs.

"Iruka-sensei, what are you talking about? I couldn't just sit back and watch him and that Zabuza guy try to kill Tazuna. I had to do something." Naruto managed to get out. Iruka immediately stopped rattling him.

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" The chuunin asked him.

"Remember, it was our first real mission. You know, to the land of waves. We had to escort that Tazuna guy and along the way we fought this Kiri missing nin and his apprentice." Naruto explained. It was then that Iruka realized that Naruto had misunderstood when he mentioned the word 'protection'.

"I think you misunderstood me when I said protection. In fact, I think you've misunderstood the entire conversation. I actually meant…" Iruka began.

"Hey Naruto, come on. If we want to make it to Suna on time, we have to leave right now." Sakura called out to him.

"I'm coming Sakura-chan, just give me a minute." Naruto yelled back. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, sorry but I have to go."

"It's alright, Naruto, just go." Iruka replied, giving him a nonchalant wave as a signal to leave.

"But, could you do me a huge favor?" Naruto pleaded, getting a small nodding gesture from his former teacher. "Can you take care of my sister for me until we get back? I really don't anybody else to turn to."

Iruka mulled over the request for a bit, before responding with a smile.

"Sure, why not."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei. I have to go now, so make sure you take good care of her while I'm gone." Naruto said running back to the five person cell.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Anko asked as they all stood in a circle. Everyone gave a curt nod to her question.

"Alright Team Anko, let's move out!" She said. The giant gates of the village slowly creaked open as a small gust of wind blew past them.

"Bye Akane-san, Naruto-niichan." Kioko said, quickly dashing to each of them and giving them the biggest hug she could muster.

"See ya, Kioko-chan. Be a good girl while we're gone." Naruto said bending down and giving her a light peck on her forehead before turning around and out of the gate.

"Don't worry, I will Naruto-niichan." She gave one last wave as the gates fully closed. She then turned to her now legal guardian with bright blue eyes. "Iruka-sensei, what are we going to do now."

The academy instructor mulled over the possible things that they could do. He still had to go back to the academy and finish teaching the students, who he had left in a temporary study hall. There was no doubt that he couldn't bring her with him and he couldn't just leave her by herself with that weird red fox on her shoulder. Suddenly, a brilliant idea crossed his mind.

"Kioko, how would you like to become a ninja?"

**(Elsewhere)**

Gaidoku, Hikari, and Toshi quickly darted through the trees using various acrobatic moves. After a few minutes, a small Japanese oriented house came into the trio's view. With a quick hand gesture from the white haired Gaidoku, the three leapt from their current branch and onto the ground directly in front of the house.

Two guards, sporting the standard uniform for most sound shinobi, noticed their presence and immediately approached the nearest one, who happened to be Gaidoku.

"Halt, who goes there?" One of them demanded, staring straight into the eyes of the white haired ANBU while the other stood off to the side.

Gaidoku took another puff of his already lit cigarette and savored the taste of it before steeling his gaze at the man. The second guard who was off to the side blinked only for a split second and was shocked at what he saw as his eyes opened.

There lay his fellow guard, pinned against the door of the house by a various assortment of kunai and shuriken jutting into him at almost every angle imaginable. A small puddle of blood lay under his suspended body.

Then, in the exact same place stood Gaidoku, who hadn't even appeared to move at all, taking yet another puff of his cigarette.

"Does that…answer your question?" Gaidoku asked the remaining guard while coughing, who got on his hands and knees, begging for his life. The nicotine addicted ANBU tensed up slightly. The one thing he absolutely hated was when people begged for their lives. Shirking that aside, he strolled up to the door of the house, which the first guard was mercilessly pinned to, and opened it, walking inside with Hikari and Toshi following.

"So, Gaidoku-kun and Hikari-chan, I take it that you're mission was a success?" The all familiar voice of the rouge sannin Orochimaru asked as the trio of ANBU entered the room.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Just as you asked, we have completely secured the twenty camps along the Iwagakure border and placed the signal and genjutsu tags." Hikari stated as she took a knee in front of him. "You shall possess all of the nin in those camps, provided the retriever squads do their job."

"Excellent. Then we may begin preparations for phase two." Orochimaru stated, standing from his seat on his chair. "I have been informed by some of my most trusted sources that Tsunade has sent a five person squad to Sunagakure and that Akane-chan is in that group. Hikari-chan, make sure that they do not reach their destination and capture Akane alive, but do not directly interfere. We can't have your identity revealed."

"And how exactly am I supposed to accomplish that without making contact." Hikari stated emotionlessly.

"I trust that you will find a way. Now, depart." Orochimaru commanded. In the blink of an eye, Hikari was gone. "And as for you, Gaidoku-kun."

"Yeah, what the…hell do you want…snake bastard?" Gaidoku asked gruffly with a few coughs thrown in for good measure.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so…vulgar. All I want you to do is deliver this message to our 'friend' in Konoha. But try not to attract too much attention." Orochimaru said as he chuckled a bit while handing the white haired ANBU a small envelope.

"Whatever," Gaidoku's last word was as he lazily exited the room through the front door.

"And what do you want me to do?" Toshi, who had seemingly been left out until now, asked impatiently.

"Oh, Toshi-kun. You have probably the most important assignment." Orochimaru slowly reached into the yukata he was wearing and pulled out a small scroll. With a light toss, it safely reached the hands of the brown haired ANBU. "Now, be gone. We can't afford to be making mistakes at such an important time."

"Yes…sir." Toshi replied, and with a swirl of leaves, he was gone.

**(With Team 7)**

The brand new Team seven, consisting of Naruto, Sakura, and Akane, as well as Temari from Sunagakure and Tokubetsu Jounin Anko Mitarashi walked at a leisurely pace along a dusty road surrounded by a gigantic forest on their way to Sunagakure. Currently, they were only about a third of the way to their destination, having walked for at least nine hours straight. Normally they would have dashed or taken to the trees, but the mission didn't exactly have a time limit, so they figured, why waste energy.

Naruto was currently keeping to himself and enjoying the walk for the time being, something very much unlike his usually noisy self. He thought that since the trip would be such a long one, the girls wouldn't want to hear any of his incessant whining. At first, the others were stunned that he was actually able to keep quiet, and Sakura even went as far as to threaten him with kunai under the pretense that he was actually another shinobi disguised by means of a henge.

Sakura was also minding her own business, choosing rather to stay near the bushes. The reason for this was to scope out any possible herbs and plants that she could use for medicine or as an antidote. "_You can never be too prepared_," She thought as she found a particularly useful herb that was used in many different medicines and picked it.

Akane simply marveled at all of the fauna and variety of animals that the group happened to pass while checking the map that she was entrusted with every so often. There were plenty of birds and insects that she scoped out and she was totally amazed by all of them. Of course she would be amazed, having seen nothing but the inside of a jail cell for some fifteen years. But for some reason, all of the animals avoided her like some sort of plague and she caught most giving her a look of complete horror. There were plenty that latched onto everyone throughout the walk, including birds perching on their shoulder, butterflies, etc., but not one organism dared to approach her, not even an insect. She shirked it aside though, thinking of it only as a coincidence.

Temari walked in relative silence as well with her hands behind her head. Despite her nonchalant appearance, she was actually in deep thought. "_Good thing I managed to retrieve that tag before we left. I'll have to read it at a later date_." She was also thinking of ways to tell Naruto about the message she had received from Sunagakure previously. "_Of all the shit the Suna council puts on me daily involving Konoha_…" She looked back at the blonde, who was currently playing with a sparrow that perched on his elevated fingers. "_It had to be something like that_."

However, unlike the rest of the group besides Temari, who were currently enjoying the walk, Anko was currently reading over the mission details that Tsunade had previously given her.

"_This is obviously not something that Tsunade herself would ask of me. If anything, this is more the work of the village council; particularly, once person in mind_." The snake jounin thought with a grimace as she reread over the paper.

_Anko Mitarashi, due to recent events, I have decided to lay Kakashi off of this mission and replace him with you. Your unique talents in espionage and assassination have been requested for this mission. At first, your only assignment was to see to the safe transfer of Temari to her home village of Sunagakure, but I'm afraid it's much more then that now. Once you have successfully reached Suna, you are to…_

"Hey, Anko-sensei." Naruto called out to her in a voice that was relatively silent but still loud enough to be considered a yell, successfully drawing her attention from the message.

She stiffened up a bit at the sound of him calling her name. The blonde jinchuuriki noticed this and immediately grew concerned. "Anko-sensei, is there something wrong?" He asked, as all eyes turned to her.

The Tokubetsu jounin didn't want them to become concerned, so she thought of the best way to keep the attention off of her…mess with Naruto.

"No, everything is fine, Naru-chan. But, I'm really touched that you're worried about me like that." Anko stated in her usual seductive tone as, out of nowhere, she appeared in front of him, her arm draped around his neck as she drew circles on his chest with her other hand's index finger.

Immediately, it brought forth results as all three of the girls began to release a massive amount of bloodlust directly at her. She smirked inwardly, glad that her plan worked.

"_That whore better get the hell away from MY Naruto-kun, or she's in for a world of hurt_." Akane thought as her eyebrows furrowed in sheer frustration.

"_I really hope that he doesn't go for women like that. Kami knows we need a second Jiraiya in our midst…_" Sakura thought in a sort of state that was a mixture of both anger at their jounin superior and annoyance at the expression Naruto was giving off, which just so happened to contain a small stream of blood coming from his nose. She looked down from his face, scoping out the rest of his body. "_Especially one that looks like that_."

Temari, however, was able to completely keep her composure, but she was actually the most furious on the inside. "_I think Gaara's bloodlust is starting to rub off on me…_" She thought, peeking at Anko out of the corner of her eyes. "_Because I really want to kill her_."

"_Damn you, Ero-sennin. If I somehow make it out of this, you've got a rasengan with your name on it going straight up your ass_." Naruto thought, a single drop of sweat rolling down the left side of his face. The reason for this was that Anko's large, voluptuous breasts were so firmly nestled on his chest. "_I have to find a way out of this situation soon, or I'm definitely a dead man_." His eyes darted to and fro, searching for anything, anything at all, that could draw all of the attention away from him and get Anko to let go.

"We really should find a place to camp soon, it's getting dark fast and who knows what could be in these woods…or who, for that matter." Temari said rather ominously, which sent a cold shiver through everyone else's body.

"Temari-san is right. We've been walking all day and according to this map, the closest town from here is about fifty miles." Akane said, reinforcing Temari's suggestion.

"Fine, is there any place to rest around here?" Anko questioned, letting go of her beloved Naru-chan, which invoked a sigh of relief from the blonde.

"Well, according to this, there is a fairly open spot that would be perfect for camping just north of here." The scarlet haired beauty responded, pointing in the direction that she had mentioned.

"Good, then we'll rest there for the night. Come on, Naru-chan." Anko said cheekily but with a hint of seduction in her voice as she grabbed the collar of Naruto's jacket and pulled him along, once again angering Akane and Sakura while secretly angering Temari.

Anime tears spilled from the blonde's eyes as he two words began to play over and over again in his head.

"_Why me_?"

**(Konohagakure no Sato, Tsunade's office)**

Damn paperwork, it just never seemed to stop. No matter how much she tried, no matter how many people she tricked into doing it for her, no matter how many slips she burned with a Katon jutsu and blamed on her unsuspecting assistant Shizune, it never seemed to stop.

"Honestly, I knew there was a lot of paperwork involved with this job, but if I had known that it was this much, I probably would've just healed that snake bastards arms and been on my way." The Godaime voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Tsunade-sama, how can you say such a thing?" Aforementioned assistant Shizune scolded.

"Relax, Shizune, I'm only kidding." She joked, but was she really joking? "Anyway, hand me the next one." Shizune complied, administering another slip of those hell sent sheets of paper into her palm. "Let's see…approval of ambassadors from Takigakure to discuss border relations on the north end of the… AH, I'M TOO YOUNG FOR THIS KIND OF STUFF!" The busty Hokage yelled as she tore the paper in half and sunk back in her chair wildly.

"She does remember that's just a highly advanced genjutsu," Shizune muttered under her breath as an anime sweatdrop plummeted down her forehead.

"WHAT WAS THAT SHIZUNE?" Tsunade queried angrily, seemingly ready to blow up at her at any moment. The dark haired aide responded with a quick 'nothing', fearing for her life.

Suddenly, a soft but firm rapping on the door made itself known as the sound finally reached the ears of the two. Shizune walked briskly towards the door and with a gentle turn of the handle, opened the door allowed the visitor to enter.

"Ah Yamato, or should I say, Tenzo, what a pleasant surprise." Tsunade remarked sarcastically as he shuffled into the room, choosing rather to stand than take the seat offered to him.

"Please, Tsunade-hime, I prefer Yamato." The ANBU captain recommended. He turned around to see Shizune, with hearts in her eyes, staring at him in only pure anime fashion.

"Ummm…hello, Shizune. How…are you…doing?" He asked her awkwardly, very awkwardly.

"Oh…umm…hey, Yamato-kun. Can I get you something?" Shizune asked in some sort of fangirlish daze.

"Sure, Shizune. Anything you have is fine." He replied as she ran off while letting out girlish squeals.

"Seems like my innocent little assistant has taken a liking to you, Yamato." Tsunade snickered at Shizune's new found love interest. Honestly, she always seemed to like the most peculiar of guys.

"Yeah, I was thinking of asking her out on a date or something like that, but as ANBU captain, I'm always on some sort of mission. Plus you know the whole life expectancy on a mission is about twelve percent for ANBU, even if I am a captain. Doubt that I'd live long enough to start anything with her." Yamato explained, finally taking the seat he was offered before and propping his feet up on her desk.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But, that's not why you're here, am I right?" Tsunade said, using her arms as a crutch for her head to rest on.

"As always." He said cockily, pulling an average-sized manila folder out from behind his gray vest and tossing it to her. She grabbed it effortlessly and opened it to peer at its contents. "I take it that this is for the Otogakure border reconnaissance and infiltration mission from a couple days ago."

"Yes, but I'd rather you read it for yourself. The walls have ears, or so they say." Yamato responded rather lazily, placing his hands behind his head.

"I see that Orochimaru has begun to act, according to this. But you don't go in detail about it." Tsunade stated suspiciously.

"It's hard to track that snake bastard; he switches bases at least once a week. I had to kill quite a few people to keep my cover and I was almost found out on several occasions." The ANBU captain explained.

"Sorry, Yamato-kun, all we had was sake." Shizune proclaimed, reentering the room with tray full of sake bottles and the ceremonial cups.

"That's alright. I should get going anyway." Yamato replied, lifting himself up out of the chair and strolled towards the door. "See ya, Shizune-chan." His last words were as he stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

"Isn't he so handsome, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, squealing like a lovestruck schoolgirl as pictures of him without his shirt crossed her mind.

"Shizune, did something seem…off with Yamato today." Tsunade asked somewhat seriously.

"Not really. He seemed like his usual self." She answered cheekily. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the mission report that he gave her.

"For our sake, let's hope so."

**(Back with Team Seven)**

Naruto stared down intently at the surface of the water, brandishing a kunai in his right hand. He was currently in the middle of a fairly wide stream, wearing nothing but his boxers. Off to the side stood Sakura, seemingly waiting for something as well, but unlike him, she was still in full outfit.

A single bead of sweat rolled down the blonde's left cheek before dropping off and plummeting downward. The moment it this water, the future hokage called out.

"SAKURA-CHAN, NOW!"

In an instant, Sakura ran out onto the stream using the water walking skill. Her fist plunged straight down, crashing into the stream and making an almost geyser-shaped explosion of water, launching numerous fish into the air as well.

Instantly, Naruto pulled out several kunai from his pouch and launched them at the fish, each one imbedding itself straight into each fish.

"Alright, Kage Buushin no Jutsu!" Ten doppelgangers of the blonde appeared in a puff of smoke and charged at the still airborne fish, catching them with the utmost refinement.

"We got them boss." One of the clones called out, giving the real Naruto a thumbs up, which the original returned with a grin of his own. It was then that Sakura walked up behind him.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything…" The emerald eyed kunoichi began as her eyes roamed all over Naruto's body, something that he did not catch even the slightest hint of. Sometimes his obliviousness astounded her. "But you didn't have to take off your clothes. You can walk on water."

"Now that you mention it, I completely forgot that I could do that." Naruto remembered, mentally scolding himself for forgetting something like that. Sakura simply sweatdropped, but didn't comment. It's not like Naruto in his nothing but his boxers was a bad thing to her.

After gathering up all of the fish from the kage buushin and dispelling said kage buushin, Naruto and Sakura began the trek back to camp. It wasn't too long of a walk but Naruto decided to run to camp instead, so Sakura had to run as well. It took only a couple of minutes before they finally rejoined with the others.

"Hey, were back…and we got tons…of fish." Naruto exclaimed breathlessly, setting the dozens of fish down onto a conveniently placed mat right next to the fire.

"Oh, Naruto, You're back al…." Temari, who was currently reading a book, stopped in shock at the sight before her. "Looks like you two were doing more than just fishing." Temari said in a fairly agitated manner, placing her book down and stomping over to the two of them.

Sakura failed to understand the meaning behind her statement, that is, until she went over the situation. Naruto, in nothing but his boxers. Her own outfit was more than slightly disheveled, who unknown to the sand mistress was only because of their little race. Both of them were breathing somewhat heavily, again thanks to the sprint just now. All of these signs pointed to one thing.

"Hold on, Temari, this is not what it looks like." Sakura stated uneasily as she began to sweat bullets.

"REALLY, THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THEN PLEASE INFORM ME WHAT IT IS, BECAUSE IT SURE LOOKS LIKE THE TWO OF YOU JUST HAD…" Temari screamed threateningly at the Godaime's apprentice, before she was interrupted by a fearful Naruto.

"Ummm…Temari-chan, is there something wrong?" Naruto fearfully asked. He didn't know exactly why Temari was so angry, but he'd learned from Ero-sennin to never provoke an angry woman.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG? YOU TWO WERE JUST…" Temari was once again interrupted by the voice of another female.

"Temari-san, what the hell are you screaming for?" Akane asked, her hands covering her ears to block out the noise. Instead of answering verbally, she simply pointed to Naruto and Sakura, who were standing side by side. The Kyuubi personality gazed at them for a couple of seconds before…

"Naruto-kun, could you please inform me of exactly what went on?" Akane asked in a voice laced with malice and killer intent.

"All we did was go fishing." Sakura answered for him, covering his mouth with her hand. Naruto had a deadly habit of making whatever he said sound worse than it actually was and she couldn't take that chance now.

"Then where are Naruto's clothes?" Both Temari and Akane asked while sporting a huge blush and pointing to the blonde.

"Oh, I took them off. Didn't want them getting wet while we were fishing." Naruto managed to get a word in, pulling his neatly folded clothes seemingly out of nowhere.

"Then where are all the fish." They both, once again, asked in unison. Naruto made a slight pointing gesture over to the fire, where a large stack of salmon and other fish lay on a small blanket.

"You see, nothing happened. I swear, you two should really get your mind out of the gutter." Sakura huffed at the mere thought of engaging in 'H-stuff' with him, although inner Sakura was all for the idea.

"Hey, you two, did you get the…"The familiar voice of Anko Mitarashi asked as she came out from a dense part of the surrounding forest. Her eyes rested on the hunky blonde standing still in nothing but his boxers. "OH, NARU-CHAN, YOU LOOK SO CUTE IN YOUR GAMA BOXERS." She instantly clung onto him and began to nuzzle her face into his chest.

A small while later, everyone was comfortably seated around the fire, enjoying a nicely roasted salmon on a stick. Akane and Sakura took a seat on either side of the blonde jinchuuriki and snuggled up close to him, passing it off as 'conserving body heat'. Instead of arguing against it, he decided to just let them have their way.

"Hey, Anko-sensei, I finally remembered that question that I was going to ask you earlier." Naruto pointed out, after taking another bite of his fish on a stick.

"Oh, and what would that be, Naru-chan?" Anko responded without the slightest hint of seduction in her voice, something that Naruto was relieved at. It was good to see she gave her little act a rest every once in a while.

"Obaa-chan said you were supposed to give us a more complex description of the mission, but you never did give us one." He said.

"Yeah, I was sort of wondering about that to." Akane said, adding her opinion as she shifted a little to be in a more cozy position against the Kyuubi container.

"Well, as you know…" The Tokubetsu Jounin began, taking another fish from the fire. "We were assigned to escort Sakabu no Temari to her home village of Sunagakure no Sato."

"Yeah, but Temari-san is very capable of handling herself, plus she is a jounin. I doubt that she would need our protection." Sakura submitted that little tidbit of information.

"Yes that is true, but Tsunade demanded that Temari be escorted their personally. There have been reports of increased bandit activity around these parts, not to mention that many trained mercenaries and bounty hunters have also started to gather in this area." Anko took another bite of fish, before continuing. "It wouldn't exactly be good for our relations with Suna if their ambassador came back in a coffin. No offense, Temari-san."

"None taken," The wind mistress replied indifferently, her eyes glued to a book she happened to bring along with her.

"I understand the part about the bandits, but why would mercenaries and bounty hunters be after her." Akane asked with a confused expression plastered across her face.

"See for yourself." Anko said, pulling a small book out of a hidden pouch on her person and tossing it to the scarlet haired kunoichi.

"What is this?" Akane said, flipping through the pages of the book. Naruto leaned in closer to her as did Sakura, both trying to get a better view of the book."

"That, my dear, is called a bingo book. To keep track of all the current enemies of their village, most ninja carry a handbook. This book lists those ninja who pose a danger to their village, including its missing-nin and foreign ninja. A so called "who's-who" guidebook for the ninja. Those listed are ranked based on the level of dangerousness, with the most deadly attaining an 'S-Rank'." Anko explained, almost as if she had practiced this speech beforehand.

"Hey, isn't that Temari right there?" Naruto pointed towards a picture of her. "Let's see…Sakabu no Temari, jounin of the village of Sunagakure no Sato. Carries around a large fan…yeah, no shit." Naruto joked sarcastically, earning a slight giggle from Sakura and Akane. "Currently not wanted by Konoha, but is wanted in several villages at around…thirty-one million ryou." Naruto paused as he gave her a surprised look, which she returned with a sly grin.

"What, you're surprised? I haven't exactly been sitting around and polishing my fan for the last three years, although it does calm me down after a battle." Temari teased, pulling out another book from her pouch, which happened to be an Iwagakure bingo book. "You think that's something check this out. I found this a while ago on a mission, but check this page."

"Let's see…Anko Mitarashi. Purple hair, usually wears fishnet, nymphomaniac…hmmm, I wonder what that means?" Naruto asked aloud as he read the contents of her profile. All eyes, except for Naruto of course, turned towards the snake jounin. Anko simply gave a seductive wink, which made them all shudder. "Anyway, currently wanted at…forty million ryou! Anko-sensei, what the hell did you do?" Naruto asked frightfully.

"I'd…rather not talk about it." She responded rather quietly, placing her hand over the shoulder that housed the cursed seal mark. From her tone of voice, Naruto could tell that she wasn't in the mood to talk about.

"I see. Well, it's your business, not mine, and we'll leave it at that." Naruto stated maturely, something that caught everyone else off guard. They were expecting him to keep pestering her about it.

"_Looks like he's grown up after all_." Sakura thought, giving him a warm smile. Without anyone noticing, Akane managed to grab the book and began flipping through the pages.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing in this book?" She asked, stopping on one page that piqued her interest.

"What are you talking about? I'm not in any…what the hell?" Naruto commented as his eyes gazed on what looked like his picture.

"Wait, let me see." Anko commanded as Akane handed her the book. She carefully read over the article about him. "This isn't Naruto. It's someone entirely different." She held the book out so that everyone could see. "His name is Arashi, but you all know him as the Fourth Hokage."

"No way!" Both Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison. A violent chill ripped its way through Akane's body at the mention of his name, though no one else noticed.

"Yeah, his alias was Konoha's Yellow Flash, because of his jutsu that could take out hundreds in seconds. He was the greatest ninja Konoha ever produced. Of course, we all know how he died and took the Kyuubi down with him." Anko sent an unnoticeable glance over to Naruto, who sent one back that read 'not another word'. Temari was the only one to catch the two's silent exchange of words, but said nothing.

"During the third great shinobi war, he took out thousands of enemy shinobi. A 'flee on sight' command was given to all Iwa nin, genin through jounin, if they encountered him, not that they could escape, mind you. It says that he was wanted at eighty eight million ryou, dead or alive. Though it doesn't apply anymore now that he's gone."

"I thought for sure that was Naruto-kun. Don't they sort of look similar?" Akane asked, staring straight at Naruto's face.

"Now that you mention it…" Sakura began, also looking deeply at Naruto.

"Anyway, enough of the history lesson, Temari-san, could you go and fetch us some firewood? The fire is growing sort of low." Anko asked the sand mistress. Temari gave a curt but sincere nod and within seconds she was gone.

"Hey, Anko-sensei, do you mind if I go take a bath." Naruto asked her, having seen the perfect spot on the way back from his and Sakura's fishing excursion.

"Sure, Naru-chan, just don't take too long." She said sinisterly. Naruto got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but shrugged it off.

**(With Temari)**

The wind mistress was currently seated on an overgrown log, next to a pile of firewood that she managed to gather in a relatively short time. "_I didn't think I'd get a chance to hear this_." She thought to herself, holding the recorder tag that she earlier used to listen in on Tsunade and Anko's conversation.

"_These recorder tags are great. They emit an almost undetectable amount of chakra throughout the area that they're placed. If a noise is made in that selected area, the emitted chakra draws the sound waves in and seals them into the tag for later hearing. Those guys at the Suna technology department sure know what they're doing_." She took out a small earpiece and fitted it into her ear. "_Okay, now to find the right frequency_." She turned the dial slowly until she began to hear voices in the tag.

"Anko…there is a reason I put you on this mission. I gave Kakashi a day off just so you could accompany team seven."

"And why exactly would you do that, Tsunade-sama?"

"Because, I knew that Kakashi would never agree to the assignment I'm about to give you."

"You…do realize that this could jeopardize the treaty between our two villages…"

"Yes…but this needs to be done for the safety of Konohagakure and you are one of our best in this field…"

That was all that Temari needed to hear. She swiftly pulled the earpiece out and stashed it, with the recorder tag, into her back pouch. She sat in relative silence for a couple of moments, pondering what she had just heard.

"_I knew there was a reason that Kakashi stood this mission out, but I still don't know why. Something is definitely going on here and I need to find out what_."

**(With Naruto)**

Our favorite blonde jinchuuriki currently was currently under a bombardment of gushing water plummeting down on his head. No, he wasn't under any sort of attack; he was currently using a waterfall as a makeshift shower.

"The water is sort of cold, but it still feels nice." He said to himself, taking the Indian position on the rock he stood on, almost as if he was meditating. He lowered his head a small bit, to let the water completely soak down his wild, unruly hair. He slowly closed his eyes, and took fully took in his surroundings.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" The voice of a certain red haired beauty asked. Naruto's eyes quickly shot open to see not only Akane's face but Sakura's face as well only centimeters away from his own.

"AHHHHH!" The Kyuubi container let out a yell as he fell onto his back. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?" He asked irritantly.

"Anko-sensei sent us here to check up on you." Sakura answered putting her hands on her hips. "What's taking you so long anyway?"

"I was just…enjoying the moment." He answered with a heavy sigh.

"Enjoying what moment, it's just a waterfall." Akane commented, not fully understanding what there was to enjoy.

"It's not exactly the waterfall. The way the water flows down upon me and runs off my back. It brings a sort of calming feeling to me, like a gentle caress. The waterfall provides such a nice relaxing feeling." Naruto spoke, once again shutting his vivid, cerulean orbs. Akane stared at him, almost as if she was entranced by his description, whilst Sakura gave him an suspicious glare.

"Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" Sakura asked sarcastically, looking the blonde directly in his blue spheres. There was no way that Naruto could be so profound.

"No, it's really me, Sakura-chan. I realized on the trip that…I shouldn't always be in such a hurry. I always used to go through life so fast that I never had time to enjoy any of it. We're shinobi, who knows how long before someone's out for our head. You know that old saying, 'What's life if you never stop to smell the roses." Naruto recited.

"_Looks like Naruto's done a little growing up after all_." Sakura thought while inwardly smirking. Perhaps Jiraiya wasn't as bad a teacher as she had originally thought.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Naruto once again opened his eyes to see Akane removing her outfit in a very seductive manner.

"Well, I'm about to take a bath as well. The way you described it really makes me want to try it as well. Would you like to join me as well, Sakura-san?" Akane asked playfully.

"Oh, Akane-san, I would be honored to bathe with you." Sakura responded. Reaching behind her back, she began to unbutton her shirt. This proved too much for the blonde to handle as he quickly jolted upwards and leapt off of the rock, plummeting down into the lake below while covering his nose all the while.

"Do you think that we maybe went a little overboard?" Akane asked Sakura, concerned for the blonde's well-being.

"No, I think that he'll be fine. Naruto's not the perverted type." Sakura responded, staring down into the spot where Naruto landed, made clear by the many ripples on a certain part of the lake.

A few seconds later, aforementioned spot begin to turn a deep shade of crimson.

"At least I hope he'll be okay."

**(Later)**

"Alright, everyone, lights out and eyes shut. We have to get up early tomorrow if we want to make it to Sunagakure." Anko commanded, currently wearing a very revealing nightgown, as everyone shuffled into the tent. The tent itself was more then large enough to accommodate the five of them with more then enough extra space. "I already set up the traps around our perimeter, so we should be able to sleep easy tonight."

Everyone began to shuffle into their sleeping bags except for Naruto, for some unknown reason.

"Naruto-kun, where is your sleeping bag?" Akane asked him, her eyes darting around the room to find it nowhere in sight.

"Yeah, about that, I was in such a hurry that I forgot it." Naruto replied, a sheepish grin appearing on his face as he rubbed the back of his head in that same awkward fashion.

"Naruto, you idiot; how could you forget to bring a…" Sakura stopped her rant as Anko knelt down and whispered something in her ear, using her hand to shield her mouth so Naruto couldn't read her lips. Whatever Anko told her couldn't have been good for the blonde jinchuuriki, because Sakura put on an almost demonic smirk.

Sakura quickly turned to Akane, who was right next to her, and also began to whisper something in her ear. A feeling of dread then began to wash over Naruto's body. They were obviously planning something, and if it was Anko's plan, it obviously was not going to be good for him.

"Ummm…Anko-sensei, I noticed that you don't have a sleeping bag either." Naruto spoke hesitantly.

"Don't worry about me, Naru-chan; I came prepared." Anko answered, strutting over to her bag with her hips swaying. Naruto gulped and loosened his collar a bit. He wondered why it had gotten so much hotter suddenly. She reached into the bag and pulled out a small tag, which she then threw onto the ground. With a quick handseal, a large sleeping bag appeared in a puff of smoke.

She gracefully walked back over to Naruto and gave him a sly smirk before grabbing him by his collar and dragging him over to the sleeping bag. Opening it with one fluid motion, she tossed his body in and climbed in with him. Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, (A/N: Or better!) Sakura and Akane climbed into the bag as well, zipping it up in the process. The four of them were currently in this position: Anko lay on top of Naruto while Sakura took the left side and Akane took the right.

"W-What a-are…you g-guys d-doing?" Naruto stuttered, barely able to form comprehensible words.

"Well, since we're so close to the desert and the desert temperatures are really brutal at night…" Sakura began, giving him a small smile. As weird as cuddling up against a guy with two other girls all wrapped up in a giant sleeping bag sounded, it wasn't really so bad. That is, as long as Anko kept her hands off of certain places; Oh and Naruto to, but she was more fearful of Anko.

"I couldn't just leave my Naru-chan to sleep in the cold all by himself…" Anko added, completely wrapping her arms around his torso.

"So we all decided to keep you warm." Akane finished, nuzzling her head into his neck. Naruto could think only one thing at the moment as a small trickle of blood pushed itself out of his nose as he fought to keep it back.

"_So much female anatomy, so little willpower_."

"But don't get used to this, it's only a one night deal, got it." Sakura added using a tone of voice that would put inner sakura to shame. Naruto nodded fearfully. It was best not to anger Sakura when she used that voice.

Anko's head turned to Temari, who was all by herself in the corner of the tent. "Hey, Temari-chan, do you want to come join us."

"If it's okay, I'd rather stay over here." Temari said in a soft tone, completely hiding her face from view.

"Alright, it's your call." Anko shrugged, it was her loss. "Anyway, goodnight Naru-chan."

"Goodnight, Naruto." Sakura said, closing her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto-kun." Akane said, shutting her eyes as well.

"Yeah…goodnight, everyone." And with that, everyone drifted off into a deep slumber. Everyone, that is, except for Temari.

A few hours later, once she was sure that everyone else was asleep, Temari's woke suddenly. Pulling back the bag, she stood up and slowly walked over to the other four, who were currently sound asleep. Kneeling down, she tugged on the zipper ever so slightly as it slid down the length of the bag.

She held in her hand four tags, all of which had the kanji for 'bind'. Subtly, she placed the tags on each of them, one for every person. After she had completed her task, she drudgingly sauntered back to her bag, almost as if she didn't want to do it.

"_I know that Anko is in on this. As for the other three, I'm not so sure. But this is not the time to playing favorites." _Temari thought, slipping back into her sleeping bag. "_I need to be able to keep them under control, incase they become a threat_."

**(Elsewhere)**

A young woman, most likely between her twenties or thirties, pushed open the door and stepped into a bar, almost like in a western themed movie. She wore a pure white kimono that fit snugly over her slender frame. Her face was obstructed from view by a sakkat, where a clear linen hung down from the very tip of it. On her back was somewhat large bag that slung over her shoulder. Even with her face being unseen, it was obvious that she was very beautiful.

She took a couple more steps into the bar, drawing the attention of many males. Of course, there were only males in the building, seeing as this was a place that bounty hunters seemed to gather.

"Well, well, what do we have here? What's a delicate little thing like you doing in a place like this?" One of the more cocky males in the establishment said in a deep, low voice as he approached her with a perverted glint in his eye. Behind him stood two men, both with katana strapped to their wastes, presumably his fellow comrades. The woman made no sound and walked around him, feeling it a waste of her time to grace him with an answer.

"Hey, hold on a second. Where are you going? How about you and me go…" The man reached out for the woman, only to have her quickly turn around and slap his hand away.

"Touch me, and I'll next time break it off." The lady spoke coldly in a tone that could chill even the hardiest of warriors to the bone.

"How dare you talk to me like that you little slut. Get her, boys." The man, fueled by anger, ordered as his two cronies charged at the girl, beginning to draw their swords out more and more with each step. Once their blades were fully drawn, both men swung in a downward arc at the woman, intent on slicing her in half. The katana drew closer and closer to their targets until…

"What the…" There the woman stood in front of both men, brandishing their very own katana in the palms of her hands and holding them up against their necks.

"Flinch…and you're dead." She once again stated without emotion. She now had them in a position where one small movement could sever their neck in half.

"My, my, aren't we the silent but deadly type." Said the voice of another man as he approached her casually. The man had to be at least six feet tall. His shoulder-length hair was dark and parted down the middle, with goatee to match. He sported a tight black tank top and tan camouflage pants with black army boots.

Acting on instinct alone; the woman forgot the other two and charged at the man, wielding both katana. Twirling them around in her hands, she prepared to slice the man in one blow, straight down the middle. Just as the blade neared his head, she stopped, the cold steel of the sword barely resting on his head, leaving a slit where a trickle of blood came out.

"How about I buy you a drink?" The man asked with a smug smirk. The woman did not answer but simply began to walk over to him, throwing the swords back at the men she snatched them from. They sailed through the air, making a whizzing sound as they passed dangerously close by each man's ear, until they implanted themselves into the wall behind.

"Hey, bartender, give me some strong sake. Is there anything that you'd like to drink, my lady?" He asked her, brushing back his hair.

"Green tea is fine." The lady answered back, tilting her sakkat down. With that, the bartender left to take care of their orders. They sat there for what seemed like minutes, the lady unmoving and without sound while the man simply sat quietly, his eyes closed and the confident smirk never leaving his face.

"Here you go, our strongest sake for the gentleman, and green tea for the lady." And with that, the bartender departed to take care of the other customers.

"When I swung the sword at you, why…" The lady began, gracefully picking up her tea and taking a sip. She was obviously trained in the ways of nobility.

"…did I not try to dodge? Simple, I knew you wouldn't go through with it. There was a certain glint in your eye that told me that you were just testing me, coupled with the fact that you didn't kill any of the other men who approached you." The man answered back, taking a sip of his sake. "Besides, nobody would come in here just to randomly kill people; that is, unless you're some psycho redhead possessed by some giant ass raccoon." He added, his voice full of malice.

"I take it there's something between you and the current Kazekage?" The lady asked, once again without emotion.

"Maybe," The man responded, this time without his confident disposition but one of subdued anger. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about me. You obviously came in here for a reason. Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes, I am. You wouldn't happen to know a man named Ketsueki Geruto?" The lady asked suspiciously. The man took another large gulp of sake.

"You're looking at him." Ketsueki answered, giving her a playful wink. "So, to what do I owe this honor?"

"There are a few people that I need…disposed of," The lady responded, for lack of a better word. Her hand reached into her kimono, where a relatively small slip of paper resided. Pulling it out, she placed it on the counter in front of him. He picked it up and opened it delicately.

"A job like this will require a lot of money, especially if you want me to capture some of them alive." Ketsueki stated, reading over the piece of paper while quirking an eyebrow.

"Then…" Hikari placed the medium sized bag from her back onto the table, obviously containing money of some sort, as signaled by the jingling sound it made as it connected with the counter. "…consider this a down payment."

Ketsueki's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"_Damn, there has to be at least one million ryou in this bag_."

"I take by your expression that you agree?" The woman asked, finishing the last of her green tea.

"Lady, you've definitely got yourself a deal." Ketsueki agreed, overly excited by his newfound wealth. He couldn't wait to break in all of this dough.

"Good, your instructions are on the back of the sheet and if you succeed, there's more where that came from. Oh, and we never had this meeting." The lady stood from her seat and proceeded to walk towards the door.

"Hey, I never got your name." Ketsueki asked as he slung the bag over his own shoulder and stood up as well.

The woman walked closer to the door until she was close enough to touch it.

"Hikari,"

And with that, she exited.

Ketsueki stared at her retreating form for a moment, before shrugging and grabbing the piece of paper that his orders resided on. He eyed the piece of paper, taking special note of one particular name.

"Sakabu no Temari,"

He smirked perversely.

"Sounds exotic,"

**(End Chapter Ten)**

Wow, sorry about the extremely long wait, but really, stuff happens. That's about the best explanation I can give you. Anyway, if you're confused about anything, it'll probably be explained next chapter.

Anyway, Jane


	11. The Approaching Danger

Alright Chapter Eleven. I can't help but feel I rushed Temari a bit last time. I tried to give her a good reason to but still. So, I decided to go back and edit Temari's lines a bit. It's not necessarily a big change and it won't affect any of her future actions but I just want to keep her somewhat in character. I changed it the moment this chapter was out so you _can_ go back and read it, but like I said, it doesn't change anything really.

Also, the reason I took so long is at the bottom and on my profile page, so you can check it out, provided you actually care.

Anyway, on with Chapter Eleven.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ thoughts

"**Blah" Kyuubi or Inner Persona talking**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter Eleven: The Approaching Danger**

**Sunagakure no Sato**

"It's good to see you again Gaara, or should I say, Kazekage-sama." The deep voice of a certain Suna jounin instructor stated as its owner approached the redheaded Kage, who was currently strolling down a hallway of the Kazekage tower. Said redhead halted before crooking his head in the direction of the sound.

"Likewise, Baki-sama," Gaara replied curtly before resuming his walk. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his former instructor; he just still had a problem opening up to people.

"_Still as outgoing as ever I see_." Baki thought with a sarcastic smirk. No matter how much he tried, Gaara would always be the silent type. The Suna jounin increased his pace a small amount, intent on catching up with his previous student. "If you don't mind me asking, where exactly are you headed to?" Baki asked, taking the left side of the sand manipulator.

"The council has called a meeting regarding the ambassadors from Iwagakure." The Kazekage answered in his usual barren tone.

"Yes, I heard about them. Iwa would like to form a mutual alliance with our village. But I'm still in the dark as to why though. Iwa was never one to make treaties with other villages." Baki stated with a look of deep thought plastered on his face.

Within seconds, the two had arrived at their designated destination, which was the door to the main council room of the Kazekage tower. With a soft, almost apprehensive, nudge, Baki pushed the somewhat large wooden doors apart and casually stepped in, the redheaded Kazekage following close behind.

"How nice of you to join us Kazekage-sama, Baki-sama." An old, craggy voice of a member of the council sarcastically greeted the two as they entered the room. The space itself was that of a large spherical shape. A massive, circular table lay in the middle of the room with an assortment of chairs placed around the circumference of said table. Each one of the chairs accommodated a member of the Suna council, save a few empty spots.

"Forgive us for our tardiness. We came across a rabbit with a broken foot, so we took the long way around to avoid any bad luck." Baki replied, a smug smile adorning his face. He couldn't help but feel that he had stolen that line similar to that from someone else, but he simply shrugged it off.

"As if that would happen. There aren't any rabbits in the desert, dumbass." Another, much younger voice from a different councilman muttered aloud.

"Both of you cease your incessant bickering. We're not here to argue amongst ourselves." One of the much older members of the council commanded. Immediately, the younger council member stopped, not willing to provoke the wrath of his superior.

"_Isn't that what the council is for_?" Kankuro, who had been currently keeping quiet, thought sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair in a somewhat lazy fashion.

"Would you mind if I sit here, Kankuro?" said the Shukaku Jinchuuriki as a made a slight bowing gesture towards his brother. The puppeteer shinobi quirked an eyebrow at his younger brother before smiling.

"I'd be honored Gaa…I mean Kazekage-sama." Kankuro replied a bit nonchalantly, but smirking inwardly. No matter how much he tried, he would most likely never get used to the new Gaara. Honoring his brother's response, the redhead set himself upon the chair ever so slightly. Baki took this chance to also take the empty seat on the other side of Kankuro.

"It seems that everyone is now present, so without any more distractions…" One of the more revered members of the council began, shuffling the papers in front of him into order, before he was interrupted by a much younger member.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but we have forgotten Yura." A random council member pointed out. Everyone's eyes began to dart around the room, searching for the missing, and probably one of the most vital, member.

"Forgive me; I had some urgent business to attend to before coming here." The voice of the missing member, Yura, sounded out as the jounin quickly stepped into the room. Walking at a brisk pace, he rounded the table, spotting an empty seat next to the Godaime Kazekage. Once he reached his destination, he hastily took his seat. Gaara glanced at him out of the corner of his eye for only a second, before turning back to the task at hand.

"As you all know, Iwagakure no Sato has sent ambassadors for the purpose of forming a mutual alliance with our village." An elderly man, most likely the oldest man in the room, began. "We haven't exactly given them a clear answer, and their patience seems to be wearing thin. They have given us until the end of the week for our answer."

"So you called us here for just this? This is something Kazekage-sama could decide by himself…" A young member bolted out.

"I'm afraid it's much more then that." The elderly man interrupted solemnly. "Recently, twenty Iwa camps mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Every last shinobi and kunoichi simply vanished; no fingerprints, no scents to trace, absolutely nothing." The man let out a small, muffled cough, before continuing on. "However, in one of the camps, a survivor was found. He explained the situation thoroughly, and was even able to describe the attackers." A cold chill went down Yura's back as his eyes showed the slightest bit of fear, something that only Gaara caught." There were only three of them, all dressed in ANBU attire and one of their faces hidden from view by a bird themed mask. But the most surprising information was the village symbol he said was on the other two's masks; a leaf."

The room fell deftly silent as a stunned look crossed everyone's face. Even the normally impassive Gaara couldn't completely contain his surprise. Kankuro bolted out of his seat in a fit of rage.

"THAT'S ABSURD, ON WHAT GROUNDS DOES…" Kankuro was never able to finish his statement as a clump of sand found its way onto his mouth, completely covering it in the process. His eyes shifted over to his younger brother, surprised that he could be so composed about such an accusation; but Gaara simply gave him a look that said to calm down.

"Grant it, the survivor was our only source of information to go by, as the perpetrators left no evidence other than what he described…" The elderly man continued.

"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama; there is a message for you." A young shinobi stated as he swiftly opened the door to the council room. In his hand was a small message, which he promptly handed to the redheaded Kazekage before leaving the room as quickly as he came.

"Team Mitarashi, consisting of leader Anko Mitarashi, Sakura Haruno, Akane Uzumaki, and Naruto Uzumaki, as well as Suna ambassador Sakabu no Temari are currently on their way towards Sunagakure. So far, they have encountered no opposition and plan to reach Suna by this evening." Gaara stated in his usual unemotional tone.

"Ah, yes, the Konoha Shinobi. Once they arrive, we should keep them under constant surveillance." The elderly councilman added.

"You have no proof that Konoha even attacked the Iwa camps…" Kankuro barked ferociously.

"But we also have no proof that they didn't. One more outburst like that you will be removed from the council." The old man threatened. Kankuro hastily, but reluctantly, took his seat. "That will be all for now. But Kazekage-sama…" The elderly councilman lifted his eyes towards Gaara's soulless green orbs. "I advise that you consider the treaty with Iwagakure…" He stood straight up, struggling towards the door as a couple of other men helped him.

"And rethink our treaty with Konohagakure." And with that, he left, along with most of the council. Only four people remained in the room, consisting of Gaara, Kankuro, Baki, and Yura.

"I trust that you will make the right decision, Kazekage-sama." Yura also emerged from his seat and exited the door, leaving the room in an awkward silence.

"Surely you can't be considering denouncing the treaty?" Kankuro asked in a slightly apprehensive tone, not daring to look up. Gaara remained relatively silent, closing his eyes as in deep thought.

"You know as well as I do that Gaara doesn't make those decisions on his own, Kankuro. What that boy said was completely false." Baki reminded the puppeteer shinobi solemnly, before turning his attention to the Godaime Kazekage. "The information about the Iwa disappearance and all was shocking for me also Gaara, but don't be dismayed by that old fool's words."

"If you refer to my trust in Konoha, it hasn't faltered an inch." Gaara replied emotionlessly, his facial features not moving an inch. A small smile formed on Baki's face at his remark. That Uzumaki boy sure knew how to change people for the better. "Besides, while no one else noticed, there were many flaws in the report itself."

"First of all, if the attack was to hold the utmost secrecy, I highly doubt that they would have worn their village headbands. Most, if not all, active Konoha ANBU wear masks to cover their faces. The headbands wouldn't have been visible behind a mask and since two of them had their faces completely visible, I question whether it was actually Konoha. Secondly, and most obvious of all, they left a straggler. That is a contradiction in itself. I don't believe that they would go through the trouble to leave absolutely no evidence, no fingerprints, no scent trails, and leave a survivor." Gaara paused grimly. "That is…unless they wanted him to be found."

While the last statement was a tad riveting, both Kankuro and Baki were amazed at Gaara's perceptiveness. But they were more amazed at how much he had spoken.

"There is truth in what he says. The report stated that the witness came out brutally injured. The attackers would have made sure to completely eliminate or capture all survivors, and we know that they at least made contact with him since all of his wounds were caused by kunai." Baki pointed out.

"So what exactly are you saying Baki?" Kankuro asked with a hint of hopefulness in his voice as he stared at his former sensei.

"That maybe…someone other than Konoha might be behind this."

**(Team Mitarashi)**

"Ummm…Anko-sensei, when I offered to treat everyone to lunch, I wasn't exactly expecting this." The Kyuubi jailor known as Naruto stated somewhat agitatedly as he examined his surroundings from the stool he was so currently seated on. The quintet of shinobi were presently settled on five, rusty stools placed ever so carefully next to a long counter top inside an eating establishment. The four Konoha nin sat next to each other, but a certain Suna kunoichi sat a few stools away from them. She had been doing her best to avoid contact with them the entire morning. Naruto was deeply concerned about this, since nothing had seemed to be wrong the night before. The other three Konoha kunoichi's, while somewhat concerned, simply passed it off as 'that time of month again'.

Of course, this eating establishment just happened to be a bar in some unknown town…and not a very pleasant one at that. Cobwebs and dust settled all over the floors and walls, giving the room a dingy feeling. What appeared to be mercenaries and bounty hunters littered the room, adding to the feel of some sort of western style saloon. A relatively small, completely wooden chandelier towered over the people below, but even that barely gave any light to the otherwise dark and dreary space.

"Oh, come on Naruto-kun. You said that you would treat us to any place we wanted, and we all agreed on this. And besides, you lost our map so we'll need to get some directions." Akane said cheekily. "Hey, bartender, give me another bottle of sake."

"Yeah, and Kami forbid we'd let you drag us to some beaten down ramen stand. How you manage to eat that all the time and stay physically fit is beyond me." Sakura added.

"So you're saying that sake is healthy for you?" Naruto asked half sarcastically, half agitatedly.

"No…it's just better than ramen. Hey bartender, give me another Daiginjo-shu (it's a type of sake)." The pink haired kunoichi ordered rather blatantly. Naruto made a mental note to watch what he does around Sakura after sake. If the alcohol did to her what it does to Lee, coupled with her insane strength, it would not be a pretty sight. Then again, since when did Sakura even drink the stuff?

"Hey Sakura-chan, since when do you drink sake anyway?" Naruto asked the obvious question. Sakura quirked an eyebrow at his question, taking an ever so small sip of her newly acquired glass.

"Well, Tsunade-sama refused to train me until after we made a formal agreement over a glass of sake. Although I don't know why, counting that I wasn't of legal age to drink sake…or be bound to anything I agreed to." Sakura replied taking a rather large gulp of the stuff. "Of course, I've already built up an immunity to it, being a medic nin and all."

"_Damn you, Obaa-chan; corrupting teenage girls_." Naruto muttered inwardly as he sighed outwardly. Seriously, for legendary ninja, all three of the sannin had mental problems.

"Cheer up, Naru-chan; would it make you feel better if I buy you a drink?" Anko asked him playfully.

"What the hell, Anko-sensei, I'm a minor." Naruto commented angrily.

"So is she." Anko replied curtly, making a small hand gesture over to Akane. Naruto crooked his neck ever so slowly towards the direction of his scarlet haired teammate.

"Wow, it's really hot in here." Akane said in an intoxicated manner as she alternated between fanning herself and tugging on the collar of her outfit. She was currently standing on top of one of the round tables, while an assortment of men gathered around her, perverted grins on all of their faces. In her left hand was a bottle of sake…an empty bottle of sake.

"AKANE-CHAN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Naruto screamed in an astonished tone while Akane continued stumbling from her standing position. The number of men around her increased by the second.

"It looks like Akane-san doesn't have that much resistance to alcohol." Anko said making a well rounded observation as she came up behind the blonde genin and leaned over him. "And by the looks of it, it seems she bit off a little bit more than she could chew." Her hand pointed over to the small pile of sake bottles.

"WHO THE HELL GAVE HER ELEVEN BOTTLES OF SAKE?" Naruto once again yelled, his eyes popping out of his head anime style. The bartender, who had been silently polishing a glass the whole time, slowly and quietly sunk under the counter.

"It's really hot…in here. Don't you…think it's hot…in here…Naruto-kun?" Akane asked, spitting out a couple of alcohol induced hiccups while beginning to loosen the chest part of her outfit. All of the burly looking men around her began to let out a perverted chuckle as their eyes wandered all over her body.

"AKANE-CHAN, HAVE YOU GONE INSANE? COVER YOURSELF UP DAMMIT!" Naruto exclaimed, quickly jumping in front of her and wrapping his body around her to shield her from the eyes of the perverted mercenaries.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, if you wanted to do that, all you had to do was ask." Akane said in a half intoxicated, half seductive tone as she wrapped her arms around him as well.

"Hey brat, what do you think you're doing, I haven't seen a woman like that in a long time and I'm not about to let this chance go to waste." One of the mercenaries called out as his fellow bounty hunters shouted things of the same manner.

"_This isn't good. With Akane-chan holding onto me like this, if I try to dodge, she'll end up getting hit_." Naruto thought as the jealous mercenaries approached him, intent on slaughtering him.

Just as the one of the mercenary's swords closed in on the blonde ninja, a man dressed in a black tank top with desert themed camouflage pants came flying at the attacker, seemingly from out of nowhere, and implanted a powerful roundhouse kick directly into the man's abdomen. Upon being hit, the mercenary plummeted down towards the ground and landed with a resounding thud.

The unknown man proceeded to the other gathered mercenaries, knocking them out with a seamless and rapid series of kicks and punches. Naruto's eyes could barely keep up with the man's speed as he weaved in and out of the crowd in an almost _beastlike_ frenzy, while making the task seem effortless, as shown by his placid demeanor.

In a matter of seconds the man had completely defeated the encircling horde, as all of the men lay flat on the ground in some sort of unconscious state. In the middle of the group stood the mysterious man with his hands in his pockets, a bored expression on his face.

Naruto stared at the man wide-eyed, stumbling slightly as he tried to obtain a better grip on his scarlet haired teammate, who was still in an inebriated stupor. The man turned around to face him gradually, his eyes locked on the two Konoha Shinobi.

"Hey, thanks for the save, Goatee-san. I really…" Naruto began as he grinned sheepishly at his mysterious savior, giving the man a nickname as he does with so many of his acquaintances. But, the blonde jinchuuriki never managed to express his gratitude as the man launched at him from a seemingly stagnant position, delivering a strong kick square at the blonde's face. Said kick sent the hyperactive shinobi flying straight into a wall.

Of course, this kicked off a chain reaction, as Anko and the previously uninvolved Temari instantly rushed the man at lightning speed. On top of that, without a suitable support, Akane quickly began to experience the full effects of gravity and intoxication as she began to plummet downwards.

Pivoting on his foot, the man swerved around and pulled a kunai from Akane's back pouch as well as catching said kunoichi with his free arm. Both Temari and Anko charged him at opposite sides, the Suna kunoichi taking her closed fan and making a sweeping motion similar to a golf swing as she neared while Anko decided on a simple slash with a kunai.

Using the kunai he had obtained, the goatee sporting man parried Anko's slashing attack, while using his foot to stop Temari's fan maneuver, all without dropping Akane, whom he currently held onto in a semi-bridal style.

Akane, who was still mostly high, looked up to the man in wonder, albeit under the influence.

"Hey, you're not Naruto-kun."

**(Thirty Minutes Later)**

"Hey, Naru-chan, are you okay?" Anko asked lovingly to her subordinate from beside his motionless body, attempting to awaken him from his unconscious state. The blonde began to stir ever so slowly, rubbing his head in the process as he sat straight up.

"W-Where am I…" Naruto questioned hesitantly, asking the standard question for people just waking up from a deep sleep. "And why the hell does my head hurt so much?"

"Yeah, that would be me." The mysterious man from before said rather apologetically as he walked up to the blonde shinobi.

"_Hmmm…a goatee_?" It took a few seconds for Naruto to put the pieces together. "Wait, now I remember. What the hell did you kick me for, you bastard?" Naruto yelled, jolting up off of the ground in order to say it to his face.

"My bad, I thought you were one of the bounty hunters, but your lovely teammates over here set me straight." He said, making a winking gesture over to Temari and Sakura, but mostly Temari, who ignored it purposefully. "And besides, I did kind of save your life back there, so we're even."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Naruto replied nonchalantly. "Wait, where did Akane-chan go?"

"Oh, you mean that hot, red-haired chick. Don't worry about her; I…took care of her." The man said, obviously inserting a hidden meaning into his sentence. Naruto's eyebrow twitched slightly at that, something that man caught out of the corner of his eye.

"Relax, it wasn't anything like that. I just gave her a couple pills to help get rid of the alcohol in her system. Though, she should be a little disoriented until the stuff is completely flushed out, so you might want to keep an eye on her." The man warned, leaning over to whisper something else in the Kyuubi jailor's ear. "And between you and me, she's a little bit too young for my tastes, if you catch my drift."

This angered the blonde slightly, but he decided to let it go. If the guy tried anything, he could bet that Sakura, Temari, or Anko would teach him a lesson. Actually, just Sakura and Temari; he wasn't really sure about Anko, what with all the advances she seems to make on him, so she was still up in the air.

"Hey, Goatee-san, you wouldn't happen to know the way to Sunagakure would you?" The blonde asked in an awkward fashion.

"Don't worry about it, Naru-chan. We already got directions while you were knocked out." Anko answered, turning to the man in the process. "That must have been some kick, to knock out a professional shinobi for half an hour, not to mention block both me and Temari at the same time."

"Well, I'm a professional bounty hunter, and I deal with a lot of ninja on a daily basis. You have to be able to handle anything if you're a mercenary in a ninja dominated world." The man replied somewhat cockily.

"_Even if that's true, there's no way an ordinary bounty hunter could have blocked two jounin so effortlessly and even come out unscathed. Only a high ranking ninja would be able to pull that off, but I sense next to nothing in terms of chakra on him. Something's not right here_." Anko thought as she eyed him warily, while walking towards him. "I suppose that we better get going." The Tokubetsu jounin walked lazily past, brushing her arm slightly against his. "Let's go, Naru-chan, and Sakura, grab Akane for me, would you."

"Alright, I got her." Sakura said, slinging the drowsy girl's arm over her shoulder while she put her other arm around the back of her waist. They all then proceeded to exit the door, but for some strange reason, Sakura's arm began to go numb as she carried the girl, which she instantly began to move around slightly to get the blood flowing while maintaining her hold.

Once Team Mitarashi had left, the goatee sporting mercenary strolled over to the bar and idly plopped onto a stool. Once he did, the bartender emerged from his hiding place and handed the man a small glass of sake.

"So, did you get them?" The man asked after taking a rather lengthy sip of the heaven's liquor.

"Y-Yes sir, I spiked their drinks just like you asked, but only the pink haired girl and the red haired girl actually drank the stuff." The bartender replied somewhat fearfully as beads of sweat ran down his face.

"That's good; it wouldn't be any fun if I disabled all of them. I knew the two jounin would probably detect the drug, but I didn't imagine the blonde genin brat would figure it out. Perhaps there's more to him then meets the eye." The man said, taking a couple more sips in between sentences. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece with a small microphone attached to it, and inserted it into his ear.

"Hey!" The man spoke into the earpiece sternly.

"_Yeah, boss_?" A male voice answered.

"You know what to do."

"_You got it, boss_. _Over and out_."

He removed the earpiece from his ear and placed it back in his pocket before taking another long sip of his glass, finishing it in the process.

"This should be fun."

**(Elsewhere)**

A barely visible figure walked intently down a long, dimly lit corridor. His grayish, silver hair was tied up into a neat ponytail and headband, appropriately fitted around its proper place, his forehead, seemed to be his only visible features, next to his glasses, which needed to be constantly put back in place in fear of falling off the bridge of his nose. Perhaps maybe due to poor sizing, but he off handedly wondered if maybe he should get them fitted.

He seemed to be carrying some sort of ceramic container, holding it in an unorthodox fashion under his left armpit, the contents of which were unknown to him. Although every few seconds, said urn would make a slight hissing sound.

After a few more minutes, he had finally reached the entrance to his destination, but was apprehensive about going in. Who knows what kind of insane and horrible experiments were happening behind this simple, wooden door. The man reached for the handle ever so slowly, but deciding midway just to get it over with. With a quick turn of the knob and a couple steps, he was inside.

The room was fairly circular in design. Long, wooden tables littered most of the floor area. On top of those tables were an uncountable number of glass jars and test tubes, which were spewing or containing various sinister looking chemicals, which gave the room the feel of an old Frankenstein type laboratory as the blue and green glow from them radiated out into the empty spaces of the room.

The man walked throughout the room, carefully taking note of where he stepped as not to destroy anything, but made sure not to venture too close to the chemical bottles, which looked like they could explode at any moment.

"Ah, Kabuto, come in, do not be afraid." An ominous, almost snake-like voice called out to the gray haired medic nin. Said medic nin was unable to pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from, which disturbed him slightly. If even he, who was somewhat high jounin level, could not even come close to tracking this man's voice, that obviously spoke a lot about his power. He was glad that he chosen this man's side.

Oh how he will regret that later.

"Orochimaru-sama, where exactly are you?" Kabuto called out in fearful confusion, which was not evident by his facial features. He didn't want to know what would happen if the snake knew that his underling actually feared him.

"Right here, my boy." Was the voice that answered into his ear from behind him. Of course, Kabuto didn't even think about flinching, although on the inside that scared the hell out of him. Not the actual surprise of it, but the fact that Orochimaru could sneak up on him so effortlessly. He could be dead just like that and not even know what happened. He was definitely sure he picked the right side to join.

"Did you retrieve the jar?" The snake sannin asked sinisterly as he let out an ill-omened chuckle, disturbing Kabuto as usual.

"Just as you asked, Orochimaru-sama. But if you don't mind me asking, what…exactly is in the jar." Kabuto asked hesitantly, possibly rethinking asking the question, but went ahead with it anyway. When a jar hisses at you, you'd rather know what's in it without having to look inside to find out.

"Just an experiment I've been working on for the last couple of years." Orochimaru replied, failing to give his lackey a straight answer as he retrieved the jar and set it onto a nearby table. "Tell me, have the bodies of the Iwagakure shinobi been brought in yet?"

At nearly the same time as Orochimaru finished his question did Kabuto snap his fingers. Two sound shinobi, wheeling in one of said Iwa nin on a stretcher, burst the doors open and brought the stretcher to rest right next to the snake sannin. The same two sound shinobi then exited the room just as quickly as they entered.

"That's why I keep you around Kabuto, always a step ahead." Orochimaru remarked with a unsettling smirk.

"_Yeah, that's comforting_," Kabuto thought sarcastically as he sported a more surprised look, though Orochimaru noticed his fear instantly.

"I didn't mean it like that Kabuto. You're my most trusted subordinate. I would never give you up so uncaringly." Orochimaru reassured him using his patented wicked smile, which disturbed Kabuto even more.

"So…anyway, you never answered what the contents of the jar were." Kabuto pointed out rather nonchalantly.

"Oh, are we curious?" Orochimaru asked playfully as he began to resume his previous task. "I would be more convenient to give a demonstration instead of just talking."

After removing the lid very carefully, the snake sannin pulled back his sleeve and dug his hand into the porcelain container. What he pulled out was just what the previous sounds had led Kabuto to believe, a snake. Although this snake seemed different from most regular snakes, as it was light blue with various brown spots littered all over its scaly hide. The snake sannin reached for a small slip of paper on the table, although it resembled something more of a tag as the kanji for genjutsu was imprinted on the front. He wrapped the tag around the middle section of the snake.

The abnormal reptilian slithered up Orochimaru's hand, continuing upward up his arm where it wrapped around his upper arm. Once it was securely fastened on, Orochimaru trotted at a leisurely pace toward the stretcher and paused at the side of the Iwa nin that occupied it.

"Mokuton Kinjutsu: Hyoukyo Hebi Fuketsu (Wood Release Forbidden Technique: Impure Snake Possession)!" Instantly, the irregular snake coiled around Orochimaru's arm slithered down onto the Iwa nin and burrowed its way down into the Iwa nin's throat at a breakneck pace, causing a disgusted reaction from the normally stoic Kabuto.

"Hakkei!" Orochimaru called out moments later after he was sure his snake was in position. A few seconds later, the Iwa nin began to violently spasm, as if in the middle of a massive seizure, before something else began to happen.

"Orochimaru-sama, what is going on?" Kabuto stared in wonder at the sight before him.

The snake sannin stared at his lackey with a mischievous smirk.

"All will be explained in due time, Kabuto. All in due time."

**(Team Mitarashi)**

"So how much longer do we have to go until we reach the desert? Akane's heavier than she looks." Sakura asked the snake mistress as they continued their trek towards Sunagakure. They had taken to the trees a while ago, as to make up for any lost time they missed with their ordeal at the bar. As for Akane, she had been knocked out cold for the last hour, due to the effects of the pill she received from the man at the bar.

"It shouldn't be too long now. As you can see, the trees are becoming more scattered, and there are puddles of sand all around." Anko replied as she took one giant leap to make it to the tree in front of her, which was surrounded by almost a moat of sand. The snake jounin had previously altered her outfit to be more suited to the ever increasing temperatures of the desert, although she had only really removed her dense trenchcoat and stored it in her backpack.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I'll carry Akane-chan for a while, if it's okay with you." Naruto stated as he veered towards her. The blonde jinchuuriki had also altered his clothing to be more suitable for desert environment, but like Anko, it wasn't really much of a change. His long sleeve orange and black jacket had been replaced by a jacket of the same nature only with much shorter sleeves, though he had chosen to leave it unzipped, revealing his more muscular features under a tight, plain white t-shirt. It was a mystery to the rest of them where Naruto had acquired the jacket, but they reasoned that he had gotten it during his trip. A number of pockets adorned the front of the jacket as well, but as to what they contained, his teammates had no clue.

"Well…" Sakura said, mulling his proposition over. Akane was becoming rather heavy and Naruto was known for his insane amount of stamina, but then again, he was healthy growing boy…with a racing mind, no less. But, Naruto's way to pure to try anything like that, right?

"Alright, you take her." The pink haired kunoichi replied, stopping on a large branch, Naruto ceasing right next to her. She traded Akane's limp body over to Naruto, who in turn decided to carry her piggyback style. With Akane correctly seated on his back, the two once again took off to catch up with Anko and Temari, who were a small distance ahead. "But just remember to watch where you put your hands." Sakura added in a threatening voice.

"Y-Yes, m-m-ma'am." Naruto replied fearfully, to which Sakura responded with a fake smile. However, Naruto's moment of fear was short lived as they came across something happening on the ground.

"Hey, you better give us all your money, or who knows what might happen to your friend here." Said a man dressed in what seemed to be standard attire for a bandit as his arm snaked around a teenage boy's neck and he held up a knife to the boy's throat. Surrounding him on almost all sides were a full platoon of outlaws and thugs.

"Hey, what's going on down there?" Naruto asked his pink haired teammate quizzically as he made a hand gesture down to where the voices came from. Both Anko and Temari noticed the commotion on the ground as well and with a quick nod from the tokubetsu jounin, the group took to the ground.

"But…we don't have anything." An young man, roughly in his twenties, replied back sorrowfully as another young man, looking seventeen or so, stood beside him with a look of anger and regret at not being able to help his friend.

"Oh really, well then I guess your friend here is…" The bandit replied, but was cut off by a loud yell from a certain hyperactive shinobi.

"I'd let go of him if I were you." Naruto yelled authoritatively from a distance; Akane still firmly nestled into his back as Sakura, Temari, and Anko appeared right behind him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The man asked somewhat angrily.

"He's the next Hokage, that's who, and he doesn't take kindly to guys like you who attack innocent people." Sakura responded with a confident grin as she cracked her knuckles. Naruto stared at her with a look of shock, mostly because that was probably the last thing he expected to come out of her mouth, but it soon turned into gratitude. "Don't worry, we got this one." Sakura whispered to the blonde shinobi.

"Hokage, my ass. That runt doesn't even look like a shinobi, and what are a bunch of weak-ass, little girls going to…" The cocky bandit was never able to finish his sentence, or any future sentence for that matter, as a well deserved, bone crushing punch came rocketing straight towards his upper rib cage, fracturing the bones in the area beyond repair and permanently crushing his larynx. Said devastating punch was delivered by none other than the emerald eyed medic nin.

The horde of bandits around there assumed leader began to charge Sakura the moment her fist connected with the man, but were completely wiped out by a huge gust of chakra saturated wind from a pissed off looking Temari, who had her huge fan spread wide. The remaining thugs then turned their attention towards the wind mistress, seeing her as a greater threat. Unfortunately, turning their back on a trained kunoichi with the strength of a few bull elephants isn't exactly the best choice to make.

Focusing all of her might into her fist, the medic nin slammed her fist into the ground. The result was an explosion of rocks and gravel, as well as a huge crater, which all of the thugs happened to fall into. Reacting quickly, Anko managed to grab the hostage and leapt to safety, where she set him on solid earth moments later.

The three travelers, including the previous hostage, stared in awe at their saviors. It wasn't everyday that you're rescued by a trio of super powered kunoichi. Naruto, on the other hand, was a little disappointed by the fact that he didn't get a chance to fight, thanks to the unconscious kunoichi he currently carried on his back.

"T-Thank you very much; we could never repay your kindness." The oldest of the three travelers said as he and his two slightly younger companions performed a grateful bow.

"Don't think anything of it. We were just doing the right thing." Sakura responded happily. "Who are you three anyway?"

The oldest of the three spoke up. "Forgive our rudeness, my name is Ichiro and these two are my brothers, Jiro…" He motioned to the boy on his left. "…and Saburo." He motioned to his right.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Haruno. Where exactly were you three headed?" She asked.

"Oh, we were on our way to Sunagakure, since our village was destroyed recently in an attack much like this one." Jiro answered. "If you don't mind, could you…possibly…take us there?" Immediately the three of them fell face down onto the ground in a bowing position, causing Sakura to sweatdrop.

"Ummm…sure, but you don't have to be so dramatic about it." Sakura replied uneasily as she rubbed the back of her head in an awkward fashion.

"Thank you so very much, beautiful pink haired shinobi. We are and forever shall be in your debt." The oldest of the three, Ichiro, pronounced as they all once again bowed reverently.

"Alright maggots, listen up. Looks like we'll be walking from here on out, which means that we'll most likely reach Suna later than expected." Anko called out to the others. "So let's get a move on." Team Mitarashi, minus the jounin herself, began to stroll down the dirt road at a leisurely pace. The trio of travelers soon gathered themselves up off of the ground and began to walk alongside the others.

Once the rest of the group was out of earshot, Anko then meandered over to the giant crater that Sakura had captured the bandits in. She peered over the edge inquisitively to notice that a few of them were still and conscious, while most were down for the count or dead.

Reaching into her kunai pouch, she pulled out a few dozen explosive tags and tossed them over the edge. The tags gracefully floated down as if they were feathers onto the men. The purple haired kunoichi smirked down at them.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" In mere milliseconds, the dozens of tags erupted along with the monstrous fireball, turning the crater into an ocean of searing fire. Many horrible and almost inhuman screams could be heard coming from the pit.

"HEY, ANKO-SENSEI, ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?" Naruto yelled after her, surprising her slightly. Even when out of an audible sound range, Naruto could still manage to project his voice all the way to her.

"Coming, Naru-chan." Anko replied sweetly as she ran to catch up with them, which only took a couple of seconds, thanks to the ever helpful body flicker technique, which she was greatly adept at, being a jounin and all.

"Hey, Anko-sensei, did you hear an explosion just now?" Naruto asked in an apprehensive tone. Anko smirked a little.

"I didn't hear anything."

**(Konohagakure)**

Tsunade took a small sip of the glass of green tea next to her and choked it down forcefully. Why green tea, you ask? Because of her perfect assistant Shizune that always has to 'follows the rules'. One glass of sake wouldn't make her any less capable of correctly filling out the information on the important document in front of her. She was a sannin, and on top of that, most likely one of the best medical specialists in the world. She could whip up something to counteract the sake faster than she could finish a glass of the stuff.

"Tsunade-sama, I brought you some more tea. Oh, and Team Gai is currently on their way here for mission assignments." Shizune stated cheekily as she strolled into the room, carrying a tray with said tea on top, the energetic Tonton following closely at her heels.

"Damn it, Shizune, you know I hate... forget it." Tsunade began angrily, but decided to let it go and focus on the task at hand. "Did Anko, by any chance, send a message on the progress of the mission."

"Oh, now that you mention it, a note did come in from her via carrier bird earlier." Shizune recalled, setting down the tray on the desk.

"Could you just recite it for me, I don't have the time to read it myself." Tsunade asked of her assistant, moving her newly filled out paper into the out box and grabbing another from the in box.

Shizune was happy to oblige. "It said that Team Mitarashi was currently in the southeastern part of the wind country and should reach Sunagakure by nightfall."

"That's good to hear...wait, did you say...southeastern?" Tsunade asked hesitantly.

"Uhhh...yes, is that a bad thing?" Shizune asked. The blonde hokage violently opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out a small book, which was similar in fashion to a bingo book.

"_I know there's something about the southeastern portion of the wind country that I'm forgetting_." Tsunade thought as she rapidly skimmed through the pages.

"Now that you mention it, Tsunade-sama, isn't that the area of..." Shizune stopped as Tsunade interrupted her.

"You're right, that is where he resides. Ketsueki, aka The Desert Wolf." She replied grimly. The room fell into an eerie silence for a moment, with Tsunade about to break it when...

"YOSH, TEAM GAI REPORTING FOR MISSION ASSIGNMENTS." None other than Gai and his ever loveable doppelganger Lee yelled youthfully in unison as they appeared in a huge cloud of smoke, both of them performing the nice guy pose. As if on cue, Neji and Tenten entered the room in a more respectful fashion, knocking first and then quietly stepping in.

"Must you two do that every time we get summoned to the hokage tower?" Tenten asked exasperatedly but quietly. She decided beforehand that blowing up at their antics like she normally does would just be a waste of energy. Neji simply sustained his usual stoic disposition.

"That's enough, we don't have time for this." Tsunade ordered seriously, causing everyone to fall in line and await her orders. "I originally had planned a c rank mission for you four today, but something else has come up. Team Mitarashi, consisting of mission leader Anko, Akane, Sakura, and Naruto, are currently escorting Temari back to Sunagakure. You four are to catch up with them and back them up as necessary. Any questions?"

Gai immediately spoke up. "You mentioned that Anko Mitarashi was leading this assignment; why is Kakashi not leading his own team?"

"The day the mission was assigned was Kakashi's day off." Tsunade answered quickly. The youth obsessed jounin could tell without a doubt that there was more to it than that, but decided it was irrelevant at the moment.

"Also, the team consists of the jounin Anko, your own apprentice Sakura, Akane who I have been told has been training with Kakashi prior, the Suna jounin Temari, and last but not least, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm not against it, but is it really necessary for us to support them for a simple escort mission?" Gai questioned, being serious for one of the few times in his life.

Tsunade didn't answer verbally, but instead tossed her book to the green clad jounin with one effortless motion. Gai turned to the page that she had somehow marked with a smiley face sporting a frown. Gai stifled out a small chuckle at the small caricature, but his demeanor soon turned into one of subdued shock.

"I see...him...anyway, we will leave immediately. But first, one last question." Gai stated the last few words in the most serious tone he had ever put on, bringing about surprised stares from everyone in the room.

"_I've never seen sensei this serious before. Judging from his expression, whatever it is, it will probably be_..." Tenten thought as she eyed her teacher in wonder, before she was cut off by Gai's question.

"When do I get my day off?" Gai asked in an almost Kakashi like manner. Instantly, Tenten's fist came plummeting straight down onto her sensei's head, making small cracks in the floor as he was smashed into the ground in an anime fashion.

"..._Stupid_!" Tenten resumed her previous thoughts. She supposed it was true that he could only be serious on an official mission, and even then that was rare.

"Alright, the four of you are to leave immediately. Make sure to prepare thoroughly, because you won't have time to rest. Remember, catch up with team Mitarashi and support them however necessary. Team Gai dismissed." And with that, the four nin disappeared in another cloud of smoke.

"I swear, we really should come up with something more practical, lest I die of secondhand smoke." Shizune coughed out, waving the smoke leftover from Team Gai's body flicker away from face. Tsunade face remained emotionless, as in deep thought. The dark haired woman could tell that she was worried about Naruto. "There's no need to worry, Tsunade-sama. While he may be a little unorthodox, Naruto knows how to handle himself."

"I know, Shizune, I know." Tsunade muttered out dejectedly, letting a drawn out sigh escape her throat.

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll make you some freshly brewed sake." Shizune said, retrieving the serving tray from the Godaime's desk and promptly stepping out of the door.

And indeed it did, as Tsunade instantly perked up from her semi-depression and put on a victorious smirk.

"_Worked like a charm. Shizune you give in way too easily_." Tsunade boasted inwardly as she went back to her stack of documents. She stole a glance at a picture of her most treasured people, her late brother Nawaki and her former lover Dan. Her view then switched to a picture of her kissing Naruto's forehead before his trip. "_Please be safe, Rokudaime_."

She went back to signing and organizing papers, when she noticed a certain manila folder under a pile that was different than the others. Retrieving it effortlessly, she slowly opened it up and stared at its contents. Other than the confidential sign imbued on the first page, she found something else that piqued her interest.

"_Kumogakure...what could they possibly want_?"

**(Team Mitarashi)**

Sand, and lots of it.

That was the only thing Naruto had seen for the past three hours, and it was really grating his nerves. Not only that, but the intense heat of the desert itself took more than its toll on the blonde jinchuuriki. How the people of Suna managed to put up with these overbearing temperatures on a daily basis was beyond him. Perhaps he could ask Temari about it later.

Then again, she had been a little off the entire day. Every time he had tried to make conversation with her, she had always ended it abruptly. The normal Temari who was outgoing, tough, and was always willing to make a point at someone else's expense, was now becoming so...reclusive, and it frightened him. She had seemed fine the day before, so what had caused this blatant violation of her normal character. Was it something he had done?

Never less, he had resolved to figure it out at a later time. Right now, he had to keep focused on the task at hand, battling this unbearable heat, which seemed to literally burning his skin from his point of view.

Suddenly, a muffled groan escaped the soft lips of one redheaded kunoichi, who was currently residing on the back of the blonde shinobi. Naruto craned his neck slightly to search for the source of the noise, only to realize that it came from none other than Akane. The scarlet haired girl let out another groan as she gradually opened her eyes, only to wince at the strong rays of sunlight that mercilessly attacked her bright blue orbs.

"Hey, Akane-chan, you're awake." Naruto stated in a relieved fashion, turning the group's attention to the two.

"W-What...where are we?" She asked hazily as her eyes began to adjust to the unusually pungent sunlight. Naruto set her down gently onto the bed of sand, which she was opposed to due to just realizing that Naruto had been carrying her this entire time and she hadn't even gotten a chance to fully enjoy it. Regardless, she began to stand to her feet, only to buckle under her own weight.

"Akane-chan, what's wrong?" Naruto asked fervently. Sakura made her way over to the two and carefully began to observe the girl. Pulling out a syringe from a pocket on her person, she gently grabbed Akane's arm and pushed the top, making a small prick in the girl's bicep. She drew out the blood at a precise pace and removed the object from her arm.

"There's still an extremely high amount of alcohol in her system." Sakura said, holding up the syringe to get a better observation of the blood sample while wiping an over abundance of sweat from her forehead. Just like Naruto, it seemed that the heat had begun to get to her. "That pill the man at the bar gave her merely numbed the side effects slightly."

"Will she be alright?" Naruto asked worriedly.

Sakura gave him a confident smile. "Of course she will, but she won't be able to perform at one hundred percent until all the alcohol washes out of her system, and she might feel a little lightheaded."

"That's a relief." Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

"But don't even get me started on the hangover she'll have tomorrow." The pink haired kunoichi let out sarcastically.

"Ummm...what's a hangover?" Akane asked with a sort of childlike innocence in her voice. Sakura stared at her for a few moments, before letting out a few subdued laughs.

"You'll find out." The emerald eyed medic nin replied sarcastically. Akane felt as if it was something she should know, but decided on dropping it. Whatever this hangover was, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

Oh how she would regret that later.

"Hey, Akane-chan, do you think you can stand?" Naruto asked as he offered a hand to help her up, which she readily took.

"Yeah, I think I can make it until..." The crimson haired mistress once again collapsed under her own weight, but was caught by the blonde jinchuuriki before she could complete her fall.

"Maybe I should just carry you?" Naruto suggested as an anime sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head.

"No, that's alright, Naruto-kun. I just have to get blood flowing." She replied, performing a few leg and arm stretches as the two younger travelers stared at her in amusement.

"They sure are an...eccentric bunch, aren't they Jiro?" Saburo inquired awkwardly as he stared at the stretching Akane, choosing his words carefully.

"Yes, very...eccentric, indeed." Jiro replied to his brother Saburo in the same awkward fashion.

"Alright, let's get a move on. We can't afford to waste anymore time." Anko ordered as she took the lead, everyone following behind her at a relatively close distance. During this time, Ichiro, the oldest of the three siblings, pulled up next to Temari, who he had noticed had been relatively distant the entire trip, in an effort to get her to open up.

"How are you faring in this heat, Temari-san?" Ichiro questioned with a genuine smile plastered on his face. Temari stared at him dubiously for a few seconds.

"I'm used to living in desert temperatures, but I've been better." She replied as curtly as possible.

"Really, the village my brothers and I were from was always warm as well...before it was destroyed, that is." At that, Ichiro's demeanor seemed to turn gloomy, but only for a second as he soon perked up afterwards. "But I guess we already told you that, huh?"

Temari could tell in a split second that he was only forcing that smile of his. But seeing that false smile only reminded her of a certain blonde. He always seemed to be hiding behind a cheerful mask, but she could always clearly the see pain that simply oozed out of his eyes. Spending most of your childhood with Gaara allowed her to involuntarily hone this ability of hers.

"Your friends are different from other ninja that I've seen." Ichiro stated, snapping Temari out of the semi trance she was in. "Most ninja are usually serious and bloodthirsty, but they're so carefree and hyperactive, especially the blonde one." He continued looking on as Anko latched onto Naruto yet again, with Sakura grabbing her legs and trying to pull her off, suffocating Naruto in the process.

"I suppose." Temari replied briefly. To Ichiro, it seemed that the Suna kunoichi wasn't in the proper move to talk so he reasoned that he best give her some space. But just as he was about to leave, the wind mistress spoke up.

"If you were suspicious of someone, but didn't have proof other than your instincts, what would you do?" Temari asked in a monotone voice, receiving a quirked eyebrow from Ichiro, which then turned into a smile.

At her question, his mouth formed into a more reserved smile. "Temari-san, there are not many definite things in this world that we live in. What we once thought was harmless became a raging beast, what we once thought could only destroy and demolish brought about good in the long run...who we once thought were good people show their true colors to us." Ichiro cringed inwardly as he saw Temari's depression spiral downward from his last statement. It wasn't by any means visible by her face, but somehow he could tell.

"But there will always be one thing that's set in stone, and that would be your true friends. They will always tell you what you need to hear, even if you don't want to hear it. They will stick with you at your lowest points in life and rejoice with you at your highest, and they wouldn't keep secrets from you, no matter who they pledge allegiance to. And those people will always be the ones you can count on no matter what." Ichiro finished.

"You know, you're wiser than your age lets on." Temari said, with the faintest smile on her face.

"So I've been told," He replied, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward fashion. "But if you don't mind me asking though, who were you referring to?" Ichiro asked in a friendly sort of suspicion.

Before Temari was able to give him a solid answer, an extremely high pitched whistling sound echoed throughout the area of the desert they were traveling in. While high pitched, the sound was still barely in the human audible spectrum. Instantly the entire group began to cover their ears in pain, most notably Akane, who doubled over while in her semi-intoxicated state; all except for Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo, who had downtrodden looks covering their usual smiling faces.

"Where the hell is that noise coming from?" Naruto yelled blatantly as his eyes began to flash between red and blue, almost as if they couldn't decide on a color.

Jiro's hands came together gradually, almost as if he were making a seal, before bending over and slamming his palms into the ground. The exact moment that Jiro did this, a single tear escaped Ichiro's left eye.

"I'm sorry."

Chains of all sorts violently burst through the ground and wrapped themselves around the five shinobi like the tentacles of an octopus, almost squeezing the life out of them in the process.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on here?" Naruto called out as he struggled to break free of his bonds.

"So, we've been betrayed have we?" Anko remarked cockily. "And as for your leader, he might as well come out now to; I already know where he's hiding."

The sand in front of them began to swirl as a dark haired man slowly emerged from the middle, along with a silver haired wolf, with which he ran his fingers through its fur all the while. He sported a black muscle shirt that showed off his finely toned abs with a pair of desert style camouflage pants with black army boots.

"As expected from Anko Mitarashi, I suppose, but I think it's too late to be so cocky, don't you think?" The man replied, scratching behind the wolf's ears.

"GOATEE-SAN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. The man winced a little bit at the blonde's rather loud outburst.

"Isn't it obvious, Naruto? I'm here to kill you, Anko, Temari, and pinky over there, and take redhead to my employer. Any real ninja would've figured that out by now." He explained as he walked towards the blonde and stared straight into his eyes, which were now pulsing with anger.

"You better let us go, Goatee-teme, or I'll have to kick your ass all up and down this entire desert." Naruto replied with a confident smirk.

"I thought you'd say something like that." The man said as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, his silver haired wolf dashed at Naruto and leapt up off of the ground slightly, slashing Naruto across the face and knocking off his hitai-ate in the process and leaving a huge gash where it's claws had been. Blood poured out from the cuts like a small waterfall. Sakura and Akane gasped at the sight while Anko repressed the urge to kill the man, but kept her face blank.

The man bent down to pick up the fallen hitai-ate and stared at it inquisitively, Naruto growling as he did.

"Does this really mean so much to you?" He asked curiously.

Naruto hung his head low as silence reigned for a moment, before he spoke up. "Yes, it does. It signifies everything that I stand for. My hopes, my dreams, and the drive to protect those who I care for... and if you don't mind..."

From below him, the man could sense a low rumbling sound, which further evolved into a loud explosion and a column of sand the height of a medium sized office building shooting upward. He and his pet wolf jumped backwards to safety, dropping the hitai-ate in the process. Out of the still airborne column of sand jumped a lone figure with messy blonde hair and large claw marks streaking across his face, performing a series of aerial front flips before he gracefully landed a few inches behind his hitai-ate. Bending down, the blonde boy retrieved the hitai-ate and held it out at arm's length.

"I'd prefer assholes like you keep your hands off of it." He said coolly as the column of sand began to lose its upward kinetic energy and started to plummet back down to the earth behind him dramatically, his short sleeve orange and black jacket flowing behind him in the wind. The Naruto captured by the chains behind him then turned into a partially sand ridden stone, courtesy of the Kawamiri no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique).

"So, looks like you've got some fight in you after all, kid. Maybe this won't be as boring as I thought it would be." The man replied with a smirk.

All of a sudden, the snake jounin Anko appeared right next to the blonde, her hands on her hips and a poised disposition about her.

"Now, now, such a highly trained mercenary as yourself should know that a couple of chakra ridden chains can't hold a jounin of my caliber down." Anko stated, twirling a kunai around in her hands.

At nearly the same time, the chains holding down Temari, Sakura, and Akane began to almost fall off of them. Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo looked on as the three girls brushed them off like they were nothing.

"We knew if we waited long enough, a cocky bastard like you would reveal his purpose after thinking we were caught." Sakura explained as she began to crack her knuckles, her gloves already situated firmly on her hands.

"Hey, do you have any more of that medicine, Goatee-san? My head still hurts." Akane asked as she rubbed her temples lightly.

"BAKA, YOU RUINED THE ENTIRE MOMENT!" The pink haired medic nin yelled in anger as she delivered a comical blow to the scarlet haired kunoichi's head, causing her to wince slightly in anime fashion.

Temari however was too busy giving betrayed looks toward Ichiro's direction, causing a pang of guilt to wash over him every time he looked up at her.

"_It seems I'll have to rely on you all for now_." She thought opening up her fan slightly.

"Looks like all of you are better than you look." The goatee sporting man stated as he gave all of them a once over. "That's good; I like my prey to put up a decent fight."

Naruto retracted his arm from its held out position and wrapped his hitai-ate around his upper right arm, before going back to simply staring out at the man and his silver wolf.

"Hey Anko-sensei?" Naruto asked, his gaze not shifting in the slightest.

"Don't worry, Naru-chan, I've got your back on this one." Anko responded playfully, her eyes focused on the man as well. Naruto responded with a slight smirk.

"Alright then..." The blonde jinchuuriki began to assume a more comfortable battle position.

"Let's go wild!"

**(End Chapter Eleven)**

Yeah, so...my computer had a horrible virus, which deleted most of my documents for school and other things, and blocked me from basically accessing my computer until I got it fixed. Luckily, I store all my story documents on a jump drive. Again, sorry for taking so long. I will definitely try to get twelve out sooner, provided another virus doesn't come.

A few things. This chapter didn't really meet up to my personal standards, but it was all I could come up with. Not a lot happened really but next chapter will be the fight, as well as some other things. Again, if you didn't understand something, it WILL be explained in later chapters, unless it's not; which I then will explain in author notes.

And before you ask, Akane is still suffering from the effects of all that alcohol, which explains her behavior for most of the chapter. Animal senses are more acute to things like alcohol since she is part of a fox demon, and she had eleven bottles, which might have killed a normal human, ninja or not.

Alright I think that's pretty much it. See ya, next time.


	12. I Promise

Behold, Chapter Twelve. This was as soon as I was able to get it out, and due to school starting again, the updates will get even more infrequent.

(cough) _as if they were frequent to begin with_ (cough)

That aside, I will try my best to get them out as fast as possible. So, without further a due, I now present to you Chapter Twelve of On the Wings of Destiny, the longest chapter to date.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ _thoughts and technique translations_

"**Blah" Kyuubi/Inner Persona talking; Next chapter preview lines**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

**Chapter Twelve: I Promise!**

"Gai-sensei, how much longer until we catch up with team Mitarashi?" A surprisingly serious Rock Lee asked his long time instructor as he and said sensei dashed through the forest canopy at an almost inhuman speed.

"Hopefully not long now, Lee. We've been keeping this speed up for a couple of hours, so we should reach them any moment now." The bowl-cut jounin replied, giving his carbon copy of a student his patented nice guy pose.

"OHHH, GAI-SENSEI, YOUR NICE GUY POSE IS AS YOUTHFUL AND EXUBERANT AS EVER!" Lee exclaimed as his eyes burned ablaze with the 'fires of youth' at his sensei's antics.

"YES LEE, LET YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH IGNITE YOUR PASSION TO SURPASS ME." Gai exclaimed, gradually moving closer to his student as they leap from tree to tree.

"YOSH, GAI SENSEI, I WILL SURPASS YOU BEFORE THIS MISSION IS OVER, AND IF I CANNOT DO THAT, I WILL CONTINUE THIS TRIP FROM HERE ON OUT USING ONLY MY HANDS." Lee exclaimed pumping his fist into the air.

"AND IF YOU CANNOT DO THAT I WILL…" Suddenly, a well placed blow to the head abruptly stopped Gai before he could finish his rambling by none other than the bun sporting weapons expert, Tenten.

"Don't even think…about finishing it." She said in one of the coldest tone's the two spandex wearing ninja had ever heard as she breathed heavily throughout.

"Tenten, you seem to be a little winded, are you alright?" Lee asked, concerned for his teammate as he, Gai, Neji, and the weapon mistress stopped on a relatively large branch.

"She's most likely tired," A certain Hyuuga branch member stated unemotionally, making his presence known to the other three, which shocked them ever so slightly. "We have been traveling for at least ten hours straight. Even I am beginning to falter." His statement proved true as the rest of team Gai noticed the numerous beads of sweat rolling down the boy's pale face.

"I am sorry, Neji, but we must press onward. You heard Tsunade-sama. We must reach them at all costs." Gai replied with a solemn expression on his face.

"Yes, but what good will it do if we are too exhausted to help them when we eventually reach them?" Neji stated more than asked.

"You do have a point my pupil." Gai reconciled. "What about you, Lee, are you still able to go on."

"Of course, Gai-sensei. My flames of youth and energy would never burn out so quickly. I could carry a five hundred pound boulder the rest of the way if I had to." Lee responded while saluting, surprisingly without the use of his sunset backdrop or any other recurring props.

"A five hundred pound boulder you say…" Gai repeated with a smirk while stroking his chin as in deep thought. "Then how about a one hundred and one pound 'boulder'?" He finished, sending a glance over towards the Hyuuga's direction.

Both Lee and Tenten stared quizzically at their sensei, completely perplexed as to what he was talking about, but the Hyuuga genius gave him an almost death glare, boosted by his ever present byakugan eyes.

"What do you mean, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked in a perplexed manner.

"What I mean is that since Neji and Tenten are tiring out, and you and I are as youthful as ever, I propose that we carry them to our destination." The spandex sporting jounin replied with flash of white streaking across his snow white teeth, surprisingly well kept for having to maintain such a stressful and tiring job, Konoha's Green Beast or not.

Neji and Tenten glared at their sensei with a look almost equal in power to Itachi's Tsukiyomi, causing even the jounin wince in fright slightly.

"Think about it my pupils. Both Lee and I already possess speed and the endurance to maintain it, not to mention the strength to carry someone for long periods of time. If we carry Tenten and Neji, they will have replenished their strength enough to successfully support Team Mitarashi as we reach them in record time." Gai explained thoroughly.

As they mulled over Gai's words, they began to see the truth in their sensei's words, and their expressions changed from anger to one of obedient reluctance.

"Yosh, Gai-sensei, you are as wise as ever. Quickly, Tenten, we must not waste anymore time here." Lee said, squatting down to allow the bun sporting girl easy access to his back as she stared at him with a look of repressed embarrassment.

"Actually Lee, I believe that I should be the one to carry Tenten." Gai stated, bending over while placing a firm hand on his doppelganger's left shoulder.

"Huh? Why is that, Gai-sensei?" Lee questioned curiously. Soundlessly, the jounin motioned for his student to join him a couple feet away, where he instantly appeared, thanks in part to his inhuman speed training. Following his teachers orders, Lee appeared right next to him, ears attuned for whatever was to come out of his sensei's mouth.

"You see Lee, throughout our time as a team; I've noticed that both you and Tenten have begun to age into adults. Tenten has blossomed into a beautiful young flower while you've grown from a naïve, little boy with a noble ambition to a promising and handsome young man. And that, you see, is why I believe that I should carry her." Gai explained in a fatherly tone as Lee listened intently, unaware that both Tenten and Neji could hear them both almost perfectly.

"I mean no disrespect Gai-sensei, but what does that have to do with our current matter?" Lee asked, still very much confused.

"Well, you see…I've noticed over the past couple years that your female teammate has grown into a beautiful woman as you have grown into a man, like I mentioned earlier. Now you know that once a woman begins to come of age, she begins to start having certain…'needs'." Gai continued awkwardly.

"Needs, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked, Tenten's glare growing more agitated every second, something that the two spandex clad nin failed to notice.

"Yes Lee. With such a handsome young man as yourself carrying her in such a position, Tenten will most likely give into her carnal desires and… " Gai began, before a swift left hook from Tenten promptly quieted him.

"Seriously, is their even a normal jounin among Konoha's ranks?" Tenten asked exasperatedly as she watched her sensei grip his head in agony, a rather large anime bruise left in her fist's wake.

A small cough expelled by none other than Hyuuga Neji answered her question.

"Oh sorry, Neji. Forgot about you for a second." The Chinese oriented girl apologized with a grin similar to that of a certain blonde, which the dark haired Hyuuga replied with a curt nod.

"While I'd rather not have either of you two carrying me in any way, I suppose the sake of the mission and our fellow comrades outweighs the sake of my dignity…if only by a fraction of an ounce." The Hyuuga finished with a snort.

"That's the spirit, Neji. Now come, I'd rather not waste any more time than I have to if Sakura-chan is in danger." Lee said, motioning for him to climb on. Reluctantly…very reluctantly, Neji climbed aboard the spandex clad chuunin; Tenten doing the same with Gai, albeit with a loud groan attached.

"Alright Lee, we're going to have to make up for lost time." Gai said with a nod towards his bushy browed student.

"Gai-sensei, do you mean…" Lee asked as he stared at his sensei warily.

"Yes Lee, get ready."

Both Lee and Gai strengthened their hold on their respective teammates while shifting their legs into an almost sprinting position. In said stance, both of them waited for a few seconds, eyes closed tightly, almost as in meditation.

"Kaimon!"

In less time than in took to blink, the two spandex wearing nin, Neji and Tenten riding piggyback style on them, were already at least thirty feet from where they started, their speed increasing with each passing second. They flew by each tree at such a high speed that the trees themselves began to bend ever so slightly as they passed.

"Alright, at this speed, we should be able to catch them in no time. But, by the time we reach them, both Lee and I will be in no condition to fight, which means it's up to you two if there's any trouble." Gai explained to his pupils, who gave him a concise nod as confirmation.

"Good." Gai replied.

"_Let's just hope that we're not too late_."

**(Team Mitarashi)**

"Hey Anko-sensei?" Naruto asked, his gaze not shifting in the slightest.

"Don't worry, Naru-chan, I've got your back on this one." Anko responded playfully, her eyes focused on the man as well. Naruto responded with a slight smirk.

"Alright then..." The blonde jinchuuriki began to assume a more comfortable battle position.

"Let's go wild!"

The moment Naruto spoke, the goatee sporting man snapped his fingers, almost as if it were like a signal. Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo nodded their heads in unison and within the blink of an eye, they took off.

"Hurry, don't lose sight of them. There's no telling what other traps they might have set up." Anko barked out towards Sakura, Akane, and Temari. Akane and Sakura both took off side by side, whilst Temari stayed behind, her eyes focused at the man and his canine companion.

"What are you waiting for, go!" Anko called out once more, which snapped the girl out of her semi trance.

"Right," The wind manipulator replied and within seconds, she was also gone, but not without throwing one last glance at the man before taking off.

"Now, where were we?" Anko asked in a tone ridden down with ill-intent but containing a hint of playfulness as her tongue glided down a newly brandished kunai in a seductive fashion.

"Hey, Goatee-san before we begin, what's your real name?" Naruto questioned loudly as the arid, desert winds blew his orange and black, short sleeve jacket in a dramatic fashion, eliciting a smirk from the target of the question.

"I really don't see the point in telling you, since you'll be dead shortly…" The man answered smugly, obtaining the expected growl from the blonde shinobi he had been anticipating. "But if you must know, the name is Ketsueki." Almost every nerve in Anko's body instantly tensed.

"_Ketsueki? That name seems vaguely familiar_." Anko pondered, narrowing her piercing gaze at the cocky mercenary.

"Anko-sensei." Naruto called out just loud enough for her to hear, his gaze on Ketsueki not faltering, successfully managing to knock Anko out of her light reverie. "This guy doesn't settle with me right, so be careful."

"Don't worry about me, Naru-chan, I'm sure I can handle myself…and you as well." She finished with a sly wink towards his direction, sending an unnerving chill up the length of the blonde's back.

"_Even at a time like this, she still manages to make me uncomfortable_." Naruto thought exasperatedly, his brow twitching slightly.

"Well if you both are ready, how about we get started. I'd really like to break the rest of that money in." Ketsueki remarked at the pair, cracking his knuckles as well as working the kinks out of his neck.

Naruto stared at him for a moment with a blank demeanor, not moving a single muscle in his body, which was surprising considering his hyperactive personality. A few seconds later, the blonde slowly guided a steady hand down towards his kunai pouch, before slipping out a few shuriken and kunai from the holster.

"Gladly."

With one swift and fluent motion, Naruto pulled out a plethora of shuriken and kunai, all aimed for the goatee sporting man, and threw them forcefully, hurtling towards him at an incredible pace.

"_Wow, didn't know Naruto could throw that fast_." Anko mentally noted as the fatal projectiles sailed through the air at a speed that even she had trouble keeping track of.

"_Hmmm, kid can throw pretty fast_." Ketsueki remarked inwardly as he stared at the oncoming weapons, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his right hand while his left was firmly situated in his pocket. "_But still, he'll have to do better than that_."

The mercenary prepared to effortlessly dodge them by leaning back, but was shocked as the projectiles swerved off of their path slightly, each one completely missing him, if only by a hair's breadth.

"_That's odd, the kunai were directly on course until that last moment_…" But Ketsueki never managed to completely finish that thought as those same kunai and shuriken, who had just passed him only milliseconds ago, erupted in small but dense puffs of white smoke that surrounded the mercenary on all sides.

"Gotcha…" Naruto whispered triumphantly as the small clouds formed replicas of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki himself.

"_What_!?" Ketsueki thought as a small shocked expression found its way onto his face.

The group of newly revealed, still airborne clones each drew a fresh kunai from the holster on their mid-upper leg, grasping it within each of their palms as they skidded to a halt from the momentum of the projectiles.

Not wasting any time, the squad of doppelgangers charged Ketsueki and his silver wolf, who donned a feral snarl as it prepared to defend its master. A seemingly aggressive clone was the first to reach its target as it powered ahead of the others, lifting its kunai occupied hand in an attempt to slash him.

Ketsueki maintained his docile stance, the clone drawing ever nearer to him. With a horizontal sweeping motion, the clone, as well as a few others a small distance away, attempted to slice the man in half.

Raising his foot high into the air, the ever cocky Ketsueki brought his leg down with a slam, kicking up a dense cloud of sand around both him and his wolf, completely blocking the sight of everyone around the two. The blonde kage buushin in the lead as well as the others stopped dead in their tracks, unsure if it was smart to charge an enemy you couldn't clearly see.

Ketsueki took the moment of hesitation as a chance to strike, reaching out and grabbing the closest Naruto by the arm and stripping it of its kunai. The doppelganger did his best to retaliate, using it's free arm to strike back. The goatee sporting mercenary dodged it effortlessly by cocking his head to the side. Using his other arm to accompany the other arm already holding the clone's appendage, Ketsueki pivoted on his foot, hurling the clone at its fellow kage buushin.

In the same motion, Ketsueki threw the previously stolen kunai and chucked it at the original blonde jinchuuriki.

Reacting quickly, Naruto leaned his upper half backwards, just enough for the kunai to pass harmlessly over his head. As the kunai passed, Naruto noticed out of the corner of his eye that his opponent was smirking devilishly.

"Tsume!"

Out from the sand behind him, Ketsueki's silver haired wolf sprang forth, it's claw outstretched and heading straight for the blonde shinobi. Naruto found himself unable to dodge, due to the kunai that was still passing him by. If he moved, the ninja knife would surely impale him, but if he didn't, the wolf would definitely strike.

On base instinct alone, the previously motionless Anko dashed towards her teammate at a speed that almost put the body flicker technique to shame, intent on saving him from most certain death.

"_Damn, when did he…of course, when he kicked up the sand_!" Anko yelled inwardly, only a few meters away from the Kyuubi jailor as realization hit her. Pumping an insane amount of chakra into her legs, Anko increased her speed even more. Just as the wolf's claw was mere millimeters away from the blonde jinchuuriki, Anko's firm hand grabbed its paw, completely halting its movement.

"Die," A cold, hushed voice from next to Naruto's ear whispered in a malicious but laidback tone. Almost simultaneously as the voice made its presence known, a kunai being led by the hand of none other than Ketsueki plunged straight into the heart of the blonde hokage-to-be. All the clones that were still left immediately dispelled in their famous white smoke as Ketsueki sneered.

"_Shit, I forgot all about him_." Anko mentally berated herself as the expression on Naruto's face grew sullen, but she noticed something a little offbeat as the kunai continued to press deeper from the mercenary's momentum.

"_That's odd, why isn't he bleeding_?"

The stabbed Naruto instantly disappeared the moment the tokubetsu jounin finished her train of thought, much to the surprise of both her and Ketsueki.

"RASENGAN!"

A blonde blur exploded from out of the ground right behind Ketsueki, leaping around seven feet in the air, blue swirling orb of chakra in his hand. Said blonde drew ever closer to the mercenary, intent on shoving the deadly sphere directly into the man's chest.

Almost as if he had practiced the movement a thousand times, Ketsueki stepped to the side effortlessly, completely evading the attack and raised his leg upwards; kneeing him exactly in the stomach and sending the blonde flying.

Anko, who was directly to his left, managed to grab Ketsueki's arm and seized the kunai from his hand, after which she immediately took a long jump backwards towards where Naruto had landed. While airborne, she threw the kunai unswervingly at the goatee sporting mercenary. Of course, it proved futile as Ketsueki merely caught the point in between his index and middle fingers.

"Naruto, get up, this is no time to be lying around." Anko ordered in a serious manner. Slowly, but surely, Naruto stood to his feet without a word, a solemn expression on his face as his blonde locks covered his eyes completely.

A faint clapping sound came from the direction of Ketsueki as he and his wolf walked into view of the two Konoha nins.

"Got to hand it to ya, kid. You come up with some pretty clever plans." Ketsueki remarked with a genuine grin as he ceased his ovation.

But the grin almost immediately faded.

"But without the proper speed to perform them, it's all kind of worthless, isn't it." He paused, letting the boy soak it in, before continuing. "I mean, shinobi need to have speed, do they not, and your movements are just too sluggish to be considered on a ninja standard. In other words, you won't be able to keep up with me."

Anko let out a hushed grunt.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion…"

"You know, that's almost exactly what my perverted teacher said." Naruto remarked solemnly, his head still hanging low as he began to reminisce.

**(Flashback)**

"_Ero-sennin, you promised that you'd teach me a new technique." Naruto whined angrily at his perverted teacher._

_They both were currently standing on a small plain like area next to a somewhat large stream, with Jiraiya's back turned to the boy. The river itself was in the middle of a clearing, which was surrounded by a thick wall of trees on all sides. _

"_Hey, Ero-sennin, are you listening?" Naruto called out once again. "You better not be reading one of your perverted books."_

_At his last statement, Naruto could faintly make out his teacher closing what looked like a small orange book from where he was standing._

"_Tsch, figures, you stupid pervert."_

"_Naruto, come towards me." The white haired sannin commanded authoritatively, but with a hint of softness. The blonde was a bit unnerved by his teacher's actions, mostly because he didn't even attempt to throw back any insults, but nevertheless, he obeyed his sensei's orders._

"_Yeah, what do you want?" Naruto muttered in an undignified manner. Jiraiya turned around and looked the blonde straight in his bright blue orbs, which the boy returned with a confused expression._

"_Hit me."_

"_What the hell, we don't have time for this Ero-sennin. You're supposed to be teaching me a new tech…" Naruto complained, before Jiraiya placed his index finger over the jinchuuriki's lips, effectively cutting him off._

"_Hit me. Don't ask questions, just do it." Jiraiya leapt back a few feet in order to get some distance in between the two of them._

"_Alright, if you say so." Naruto shrugged. He didn't quite understand what his instructor was up to, but he knew that Jiraiya didn't ask him to hurt him often. And besides, this could be payback for all the times he had to bail him out of some situation involving hot springs._

_The Kyuubi jailor charged as fast as he legs would carry him. Jiraiya noticed the unsophisticated way he ran and took not of it. The boy threw a right hook at the frog hermit, which was easily dodged._

"_Were you actually expecting to hit me with that?" Jiraiya asked the boy seriously._

_Naruto smirked._

"_Not really."_

_Two clones popped up seemingly from out of nowhere and rushed at the sannin in the same manner that Naruto had, coming from both his right and left. The clone to the left threw a punch the same way the real Naruto had. Leaning backwards slightly, Jiraiya dodged the easily avoidable punch and retaliated with a quick jab of his own, which appeared as only a blur._

_The clone to his right tried a different approach as it neared its target. It chose a simple kick…which was easily caught by the sannin. Swinging him around, Jiraiya threw the clone at the real Naruto. The two collided, the clone exploding into its signature white smoke as the real Naruto flew back._

_Naruto jolted up from his position on the ground quickly, assuming a battle position and ready for whatever, or whoever, Jiraiya would throw at him next._

"_That'll be all for now, kid." Jiraiya stated simply was he took a seat on the hard ground beneath him._

"_What do you mean, 'that'll be all'? We barely did anything. And besides, you promised me that I'd start learning a new technique. What kind of teacher are…" Naruto began his signature rant about how horrible a teacher Jiraiya was._

"_Naruto, sit down and shut up." The tone in which Jiraiya spoke to him threw the blonde off, not to mention scared him half to death. He could tell now that Jiraiya wasn't playing around. Following orders, he plopped himself on the ground right in front of the snow haired sannin._

"_You know, boy, you have all of the potential of becoming a great shinobi." Jiraiya began, his face completely expressionless. "Determination, an insane amount of chakra, a good deal of strength, intelligence…when it really matters anyway." Naruto scowled. "But most of these things won't matter unless you can physically keep up with your enemy."_

_The boy let out a depressed sigh._

"_Most of your peers are generally very fast and can move very gracefully, but you aren't exactly blessed with that gift. But you just charge in recklessly and hope for your attack to hit, like you demonstrated just now." Jiraiya noticed the blonde become even more depressed, but he needed to know and he needed to know now. "You attempt to make up for your speed by making clones, but you just end up wasting time, effort, and chakra."_

"_In this world, Naruto, shinobi take pride in their speed, whether it is their movement or simply performing a task like laying a trap or performing hand seals, and this speed can mean everything in a battle." Naruto turned to notice his sensei right behind him, and what scared him was that he didn't even realize he had moved. "Take note of how I could have killed you right then and there without so much as breaking a sweat."_

"_This speed is accomplished by either rugged physical training, or using skills, such as the body flicker. But, your chakra control still isn't good enough for you to attain a body flicker as fast as it needs to be and we don't have enough time to train you hard enough to accomplish such speed." Jiraiya explained._

"_So what do you suppose we do about it?" Naruto asked with a sad expression as he looked up to Jiraiya._

"_Naruto, the technique I'm about to show you is highly classified S class technique and is only to be used under extreme circumstances." Jiraiya said, taking to his feet. "Also, if it can be avoided, I'd prefer you don't use this technique in front of Kakashi." _

_Naruto stood up as well. Upon fully standing up, Jiraiya tossed him a kunai. Although, this kunai had strange markings around the handle, almost like some sort of…formula._

"_How is a kunai with a note wrapped around the handle supposed to be an S class technique?" Naruto questioned half sarcastically, half disbelievingly._

"_Because…the technique I'm about to teach you was an original from the fourth hokage himself…just like the rasengan." Jiraiya answered, smirking. _

_Naruto stood completely still, complete shock evident on his face._

"_First the rasengan, and now this. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to make me into his clone or something." Naruto said, his shock turning into a mischievous smile, which the toad sannin returned in full force. _

"_So, do you accept?" Jiraiya asked, knowing full well what the answer would be._

_The blonde looked down to the oddly shaped kunai in complete silence, mulling over the proposition. He then looked up to his sensei as he gripped it tighter, fierce determination dancing like fire in his eyes._

"_Of course,"_

**(End Flashback)**

"There's this technique that was created by a certain man that I admire very much. He's actually who I've always wanted to grow up to be like." Naruto said with a serious air. "I don't know his reason for creating it, nor do I care, but I do know that I didn't learn it so that I could increase my own power, or even so I could be one step closer to becoming hokage. But so that if any of my friends were ever hurt, that I'd be the first one to back them up, so that I don't lose any of my precious people."

Images of his teammates and friends all flowed through his thoughts, more prominently a pink haired medic nin, a girl with buns, a ramen cook, a feisty blonde with a giant fan, a shy girl with white eyes, a scarlet haired beauty, and even a purple haired nymphomaniac.

Naruto unzipped the front of his jacket slowly. The steady wind forced the jacket to sway slightly and an almost unhearable clanking sound could be heard from the jacket.

"And that so I could catch up with the ones that I've lost." Sasuke immediately crossed his mind.

Naruto pulled out an abnormal kunai with a strange note wrapped around the handle and twirled it around in his right hand.

"So from now on, with this technique, I promise that I won't lose a single one of my precious people."

"_That kunai is different from regular ones. Not just the design; It feels as if it has its own chakra signature. I don't know exactly what it does, but if I just keep my distance and dodge I should be alright_." Ketsueki reasoned inwardly, keeping a wary eye on the irregular projectile.

"_Just when I thought you couldn't surprise me anymore, Naru-chan_." Anko thought smirking.

Naruto threw the kunai in Ketsueki's direction, the projectile twirling through the air as its predecessors had done. The mercenary dodged, shifting to the side ever so slightly. The knife imbedded itself into the sand ridden ground a few inches to the side of his feet.

Ketsueki looked up towards his blonde opponent to find the snake mistress standing in the same spot. It was then that he felt a still small voice whisper something from his left into his ear.

"Too slow."

**(With Akane and Sakura)**

"AKANE, WATCH OUT!" Sakura proclaimed as a barrage of poison laced senbon hurtled towards the redheaded kunoichi. The two were currently fighting none other than the brothers Jiro and Saburo, who had currently escaped Sakura's sight as she was focused more on her teammate.

Akane, seeing the oncoming needles, leapt to the side shakily, the thin projectiles implanting themselves into the bed of dried sand. Almost immediately after they had missed, yet another salvo of the poisonous needles was already on their way to piercing the girls skin.

"_Damn it, it's becoming harder to move_." Akane cursed inwardly as she reached down to her ankle where a few senbon had punctured the flesh earlier in the battle. As if that wasn't enough, she was still somewhat succumbed to the effects of the insane amount of alcohol she had consumed. "_I don't know how much longer I can dodge_."

Pretty much contradicting her own thoughts, the scarlet haired kunoichi managed to roll to the side just enough for the second wave to miss. She then repeated as more came her way.

"_This is getting us nowhere. We have to find them quickly, or else they'll corner us._" Sakura thought as she continued to dodge the squads of senbon being launched at her from various locations. Leaping backwards, she avoided a few more needle like projectiles and landed gracefully on the ground, knocking up a small cloud of sand around her feet as she settled.

An eerie calm fell over the vicinity as the onslaught of senbon seemed to abruptly stop.

"Sakura-san, are you okay?" Akane asked worriedly as she sprinted towards the team's medic nin, skidding to a halt while stumbling slightly, no doubt thanks to her slight intoxication.

"Yeah, I'm fine, how about you? Those senbon look like they're lodged pretty deep." Sakura responded, noticing the needle's in a variety of places around her body.

"I'll be okay. Let's just finish these guys off already so we can check on Naruto. That guy he's fighting creeps me out." The red haired girl commented sarcastically, which caused Sakura to smirk in agreement.

"Of course, but we do have to find them first." Sakura replied, scanning the area for any sign of the two brothers. As if on cue, the medic nin spotted Saburo standing erect around what she assumed was thirty feet away from her and Akane.

"_Fukumikuchi Hari_ (Hidden Mouth Needles)!"

Without wasting any time, Saburo launched a flood of senbon needles, which Sakura had assumed by now to be his trademark, from his mouth. Sakura prepared to dodge, but was surprised as Akane suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Kage Buushin no Jutsu!"

Instantly, three perfect replicas of the crimson mistress appeared in front of the two girls, making what looked to be like a human shield. The needles penetrated the clones, one after another, until the barrage stopped. All three senbon ridden clones then dispersed, a cloud of ivory smoke left in their wake. The smoke revealed a trio of smooth stones covered in explosive tags.

"_Why would she make the clones explode if they were just shields_?" Saburo questioned inwardly as the tags exploded, producing an overabundance of gaseous smoke which clouded both Sakura and Akane from Jiro's view.

The smoke began to clear just as quickly as it came, revealing both Akane and Sakura still standing in their exact same positions.

"_This doesn't make sense. The explosives were just a waste of time and effort…unless…_" Realization quickly dealt a blow to Saburo as a shocked expression crossed his face.

From beneath the sand, chains crawled hastily up both of Sakura's legs, continuing upward as they wrapped around her entire body. Simultaneously, the exact same thing happened to Akane.

"What's with that worried look, Saburo?" Jiro asked as he slowly emerged from the sand next to his brother, the chains bound around his arm connected to the two Konoha kunoichi from underground. Pulling on the chains, the long shackles lifted out of the ground to where they could be seen. "We have them right where we want them."

"Hey Akane, do you think you can get off a Gokakyuu no Jutsu?" Sakura asked her partner in a hushed voice.

"I don't know. Thanks to all that alcohol, my chakra control is screwed up right now. I just barely got the Kage Buushin off. I don't know what will happen if I try it." The girl replied cautiously, making sure not to let their enemies hear the conversation. "But I'll give it a shot."

Struggling against the might of the chains, Akane somehow found the strength to place her hands in a position to form seals. After a few slow seals, her hands stopped on the tiger seal.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!_"

True to her words, her fire technique didn't exactly come out as a fireball. Instead, a large stream of fire engulfed her for a moment, completely blinding Sakura, before racing along the stretched chain, intent on swallowing the chain wielding Jiro with searing fire.

"_What the hell_…" Jiro thought as he detached the chains from his arms while he and his brother leapt high into the air, just barely escaping the flames of the technique.

"_Come on, don't fail on me now_." Akane thought as she quickly threw the chains off of her and placed her hands in an all too familiar seal.

"Kage Buushin no Jutsu!"

A dozen copies of the redhead appeared around her before quickly dashing towards the still airborne brothers. The duo landed gently onto the sand and prepared for the oncoming onslaught.

One of the Akane doppelgangers pulled out a few shuriken and hastily proceeded to launch them in between the two brothers.

"_They're trying to split us apart_." Saburo reasoned in his mind as both he and his sibling Jiro darted to the side in opposite directions. After settling, he attempted to regroup with his teammate, only to be blocked by exactly six replicas of Akane. "_Looks like I'm going to have to deal with these first_." Saburo thought, taking off in a random direction, running at shinobi speed with the redheaded duplications hot on his trail.

"_I need to take these out in one move, or else they'll just keep multiplying_." Jiro rationalized as he made a sweeping glance at the imitations, who were continuing to produce even more clones by the second. "_While I don't want to use this technique, it's my only other option_."

Pulling a kunai from a holster on his leg, Jiro slashed right down the middle of his own shirt, making sure only to cut the fabric. He then removed the article of clothing, the shirt falling to the sand ridden ground by the force of gravity.

Imbedded onto his left pectoral was a small circular seal. Biting into his thumb, he smeared the blood caused by the bite across the diameter of the seal, after which he performed a hand seal. The result produced a dense and somewhat large cloud of white smoke that shielded his entire body from view. The replicas of Akane looked on in wonder with a hint of apprehensive fear as the ivory colored smoke began to disperse.

What was left in the wake was a massive sphere, covered in two-inch long spikes. Covering the empty spots on the sphere where a random assortment of kanji, all translating to 'hell' and 'demon'. At the base of the sphere, a three foot bandage covered pole was attached by a somewhat long chain, resembling a flail. At the other end of the pole was another, even longer chain, connected at the opposite end to his left pectoral where the seal had previously occupied.

Grabbing onto the pole component of the weapon, Jiro lifted the object high into the air before slinging the entire thing over his shoulder, the chain connected to his chest dangling below.

"Yomi Kiseiseibutsu Kasui _(Underworld Parasite Spike)_"

The copies of Akane all took a similar battle stance and began making hand seals, except for one, who made no move whatsoever. Ending on the tiger seal, they simultaneously called out…

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!_"

Managing to get the technique right this time, gargantuan balls of scorching flame barreled towards Jiro as their flames crackled in the wind. Said man merely smirked as he lifted the massive flail from over his shoulder and held it erect in the air, the large ball at the end dangling at the end. With one fluent wave of his arm, the spiked ball began to spin around at a rate almost equal to that of a propeller. The fireballs converged at the spot where Jiro occupied, creating a deafening explosion followed by a pillar of fire.

But the flames were dispersed almost seconds after they came into existence as they began to circle around the spiked ball of Jiro's flail, as if it were absorbing them. As the mace continued to suck up the smoke and fire, one of the Akane duplications noticed that Jiro's breathing had begun to become sparse and labored, before a bluish glow formed around him, if only for a second, after which he regained his normal composure.

Once the fire had completely dissolved, Jiro once again slung the flail over his shoulder, small beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"_This technique sure does take its toll_." Jiro began inwardly as he stared down the platoon of red haired kunoichi in front of him, before his eyes shifted down towards his weapon. "_Underworld Parasite Spike, one of most devastating summoned weapons known, but at one of the most devastating costs. This thing literally drains chakra and chakra imbued substances, like the girls Katon jutsu; but that jutsu isn't the only one it drains_."

Swinging the flail around again above his head, Jiro then used the momentum to launch it at the grouping of kage buushin at a speed too quick for the doppelgangers to evade, taking out a couple of said clones.

"_This weapon must constantly feed on chakra, which it absorbs on contact from anything containing chakra, even human, and transfers half of the absorbed chakra to me while it devours the rest_. _My chakra coils spread throughout the chain of the weapon, allowing me to acquire the chakra it doesn't consume._ _In a sense, the weapon and I are basically unified_." He brought it down once more on the group of scarlet girls, only managing to take out a few of them, the others darting to the side just enough to escape the radius of the weapon.

"_But_ _that's where the weakness of using the weapon lies. It must constantly be draining chakra from something and if it's not eating the chakra of something else, it's draining it from me_." He thought, looking down towards the chain connected to his left pectoral. "_If it completely drains me, or if the chain connecting us somehow becomes separated, my chakra coils will sever and I'll die almost instantly_."

One of the remaining Akane reproductions let loose another enormous fireball, heading straight for the flail wielding ninja. Withdrawing the flail back towards him, Jiro managed to intercept, cancel out, and drain the incoming fireball, simultaneously giving him another boost in his chakra.

While his attention was diverted to the fireball, one of the clones charged directly at Jiro. He noticed it and acted accordingly, bringing the flail above his head once more before launching it straight at the approaching copy.

The copy made absolutely no attempt to dodge, but instead continued to dash recklessly at the ball. The two collided, the clone exploding into white smoke as they connected, but the flail continued in its unswerving straight line, heading directly for a second clone. As it saw the weapon coming towards it, the clone stayed in its position until the very last moment, where it dodged to the side just enough to avoid it.

As the spiked ball passed, the clone used one of its hands to grab the chain which it was connected to. Jiro valiantly tried to pull the ball back, but to no avail. This red haired girl, clone or not, seemed to have _incredible strength._ It was then that the Akane grabbing the chain erupted into a white cloud of smoke like all the others before her. But instead of completely dispersing, it seemed that she had changed form; for Jiro noted that her hair was…

"_Pink_?"

As the leftover smoke cleared, it revealed a pink haired, emerald eyed kunoichi with her hand wrapped around a section of the chain, keeping him from retracting his flail.

"But how? You're still bound by my…" Jiro asked disbelievingly, before being interrupted by the medic nin.

"When Akane-san created those exploding clones, the explosion they gave off gave me enough time to henge into her and hide, while she had another clone henge as me. When she made that army of clones to pursue you two, I mixed myself in with them, hoping to get the jump on one of you. You just happened to be unlucky." Sakura explained, her grip on the chain tightening.

Jiro stared at her viciously, but his gaze didn't faze the girl at all. But during that, he realized one mistake in her plan.

"So what do you do now? We're both stuck like this. The moment you let go, I pull the chain back and the ball with it, killing you on the spot; and if I come to you, you'll most likely kill me. We're in a stalemate right now." Jiro taunted as a mad laugh escaped his mouth.

"Not exactly! You're the one connected to this chain, not me, which means…" Sakura replied curtly. In a split second, with one mighty tug, she pulled back the chain as hard as she could. The formerly stationary Jiro then began to rocket straight towards her at an alarming rate. As he neared, the kunoichi brought her arm back and with one devastating thrust forward, she sent him flying, creating an almost sonic boom like effect. Small cracks began to appear on the section of chain connected to his chest.

Without missing a beat, the instant she punched him, she once again grabbed the chain and gave a violent tug in the opposite direction from where he was flying. The force of the tug was enough to break the chain to which he was connected, as the part he was linked to broke from sheer force.

The flail, no longer attached to its summoned, began to fade into an inky black, before finally disappearing all together. Jiro landed on the ground hundreds of feet away, sprawled out on the ground. After checking and attending to her wounds, Sakura began to trek over towards his seemingly dead body. She approached him cautiously, but relaxed the moment she was sure that he was dead.

"_No time to rest. I have to go check on Naruto_." She thought as she trudged over towards the direction where the blonde fought.

**(With Naruto and Anko)**

Naruto sent a swift kick straight into Ketsueki's chest, propelling the man through the air until he hit the sand covered ground, putting a large gap between the two and kicking up a cloud of sand around the impact sight.

"_Just as I thought, Hiraishin no Jutsu_ _(Flying Thunder God Technique)_." Thought Anko as she looked on at Naruto with slight admiration. "_That kid never ceases to amaze me_."

Ketsueki hastily but shakily stood to his feet after being knocked to the ground by the blonde's devastating kick, wiping a small trail of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"_What the hell was that? There's no way any ninja could move that fast. It's almost like he…teleported_." The wolf themed mercenary reasoned staring intently at the calm but serious-faced jinchuuriki, who was idly playing with another Hiraishin kunai in his right hand.

"Well kid, that certainly was a surprise; never seen a technique like that before. Maybe I was wrong about you." Ketsueki's gaze shifted down as he spread his legs in an almost sumo-like fashion. Naruto inconspicuously let go of the kunai in his hand, the projectile weapon falling before being firmly implanted in the sand. "Then again…" The mercenary's eyes rose back up, the once nonchalant stare becoming a malevolent gaze. "…maybe not!" He roared, performing the dog handseal.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu (_Four Legs Technique_)!"

No sooner than he had finished the name of his technique had he made a bee line straight for Naruto, who he noted looked oddly smug, using all four of his appendages to propel himself towards his intended target.

As his dog-themed opponent sped towards him in what was close to a beast-like frenzy, Naruto leapt back a few feet from the site of his previously dropped kunai.

"NOW DIE!!!" Ketsueki howled at a completely composed and passive faced Naruto as he seamlessly pulled out a kunai from his holster, preparing to take the blonde out quickly. Within seconds, he passed over the kunai Naruto had dropped only moments ago and slashed in a downward arc wildly.

In what seemed the smallest fraction of a millisecond, Naruto instantly appeared behind him, almost as if he had been there the entire time, and without wasting any time, lifted his leg up and swiftly brought and axe kick down on top of the mercenary, kicking up another cloud of dust on impact.

"_I see. He dropped that kunai on purpose so that he could dodge and appear behind him. But a maneuver like that would take split second timing on his part. Seems like Jiraiya did more than just teach him new techniques during that trip_." Anko noted inwardly from a fair distance away as she waited for the airborne sand to clear. "_But still, it's strange that someone as skilled as him would fall for such a move…Oh shit_!"

As the dust cleared, Naruto noted that the part of Ketsueki's body he had brought his foot down upon felt somewhat…hard, almost like a…rock? He looked down only to find a rock…and just what were those slips of paper covering it? They almost look like explo…

"Damn it!"

The blonde valiantly tried to remove his foot from the rock, but to no avail. It was almost as if it was trapped, but he had no time to worry why; the explosive tags were starting to ignite.

Thinking quickly, the Kyuubi jailor tossed a Hiraishin kunai wildly in a random direction.

"_The Hiraishin only transports me, so I should be able to escape_…"

Naruto's train of thought instantly ceased as his eyes settled on the pet wolf of the mercenary he was currently battling, his freshly thrown Hiraishin kunai being clenched in its mouth. Next to the canine was Ketsueki himself, smirking proudly as he stroked the dog's fur.

"You're not getting out of this one, boy."

Naruto's face blanked. The explosive tags looked like they could go off at any moment. The blonde shinobi drew another Hiraishin kunai with the intent to escape…only to remember that wolf would just simply catch it again.

The situation was looking grim.

Anko immediately mobilized, dashing towards Naruto at a speed that surprised even her.

"No you don't! Tsume, stay here and make sure he doesn't get away." After a growl of confirmation from his dog, Ketsueki vanished from his position only to end up right in the path of the tokubetsu jounin.

Anko took a swing at Ketsueki with her left arm as she reached him. The mercenary easily dodged by ducking, the punch brushing a few hairs on his head. Pivoting on her foot, she swung around, hoping to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head. Bringing his arms up to shield, he barely was able to parry the attack, the force almost making him loose his balance.

The two continued to trade blow after blow, each parrying the others kicks and punches and retaliating with attacks of their own.

"Looks like the boy's time is almost up, wouldn't you say?" The mercenary asked sarcastically, yet blankly. This caused the snake mistress to hiss in frustration as she threw another vicious punch toward the man, only to have it blocked.

"_DAMN IT, COME ON! IT CAN'T ALL END HERE. THERE'S TOO MANY THINGS I NEED TO DO_." Naruto screamed in his mind as he tugged on his leg with his hands spastically, the Hiraishin kunai still firmly in his right hand. _I NEED TO BECOME HOKAGE; I NEED TO DEFEAT THAT SNAKE BASTARD…_" Tears began to well up in the blonde's eyes. "_I NEED TO BRING BACK…_" before his face suddenly grew solemn and calm.

"_That's right; I made a promise to Sakura-chan_." He thought solemnly as he slowly stopped his thrashing about. "_And I never go back on my promises_…" He stared at the kunai in his hand gravely before clenching it forcefully and raising it high above him, his head hung low. "…_So why should I start now_?"

Instantly, the tags went off, creating an explosion the likes of which Anko had never seen. Amidst, the fire and smoke, she could clearly make out traces of blood and she immediately assumed the worst.

"NARUTO!!!"

**(Sunagakure no Sato)**

Kankuro absolutely despised council meetings. The entire activity in itself was a collection of pompous windbags spurting out nonsensical rubbish (that has nothing to do with the actual issue at the time of the meeting, he might add), trying desperately to assert their authority over other members.

Honestly, the only people that ever got anything of usefulness for the village done around here were Gaara, himself, Baki, and Yura…and even he rarely showed up.

Speaking of which, where was Yura anyway? He should have been here an hour ago.

"_Well, whatever he's doing it surely must be better than this_." The puppeteer jounin sighed inwardly as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head in a resting manner.

"So, in conclusion, Kazekage-sama; we believe that a mutual alliance of our two villages will ultimately protect us in the long run in the event of a preemptive strike from any of the surrounding nations." Explained an Iwa dignitary to the redheaded Kazekage as Kankuro looked on from the other side of the room.

In truth, the face painted puppeteer really hoped that Gaara refused their offer. He never really trusted Iwagakure in the first place, not counting the repercussions of forming an alliance with them while already having a treaty with Konoha.

"I will consider it." Gaara answered vaguely, his demeanor not giving an inch to the stone dignitaries.

"So be it, Kazekage-sama. Due to the Iwa outpost disappearance incident, we have been ordered to remain here until it is deemed safe to return to the home country, so if you ever have a change of heart…" One of the other spokesmen exclaimed reverently, before being interrupted by Gaara.

"Yes, I understand." The sand manipulator stated void of emotion, which was an all too common occurrence.

"Very well," With a snap of his fingers, the two other dignitaries followed the first out of the door, leaving only the Kazekage and his brother.

"Well that couldn't have gone any slower." Kankuro exclaimed brashly as he let out an obnoxious yawn.

Just then, a slender figured woman, who looked to be at least in her twenties, carrying a tray entered the room at a leisurely pace. She sported a dark gray kimono with a red sash running across the waist line, her pitch black hair cascading down her back before stopping at her midsection. All in all, Kankuro noted she was quite the looker.

"I thought you might have wanted some tea, Kazekage-sama." She said with a seductive smirk as she set down the tray on the desk in front of him.

"Thank you, Fumika-san." Stated the redhead calmly as he delicately grabbed a cup of tea and began to sip at it politely.

"But, of course. If there's anything you need…anything…you can come to me…" Fumika said with a seductive wink coupled with matching blush as she strolled over to the sand wielder and draped her frame over his back, her relatively medium sized bust pressing against his back. "…My little Tanuki-chan."

Kankuro noted that Gaara seemed unfazed the entire time. Obviously, the redhead failed to see the…suggestive connotations that could have come from that statement…and all the ones that _did_ come from that statement.

Then again, at one point, pretty much everyone hated, feared, or ignored him; most commonly a combination of two or more. The more he thought about it, the easier it was to wrap his mind around the fact that Gaara was just getting used to female attention besides his sister upon acquiring the position of Kazekage.

Of course, upon being promoted to said position, the majority of the female population began to see the Shukaku restrainer in a new light. Once you looked past the dark rings around his eyes (which most of the girls in the village thought looked hot), he really was a kind hearted individual with a cool, mysterious demeanor.

Kankuro had to admit though; he sort of envied all the attention his brother received from the opposite gender, Kami forbid the _same_ gender. What he wouldn't give for a girl that beautiful to tell him something like that…and mean it, of course.

Of course, his newly hired secretary, although quite more affectionate than the others, was just one of the hundreds…maybe even thousands; but surprisingly, she was the only one that made a move on him…today.

After letting go of her 'Tanuki-chan', Fumika stood up from her leaning position and walked a little ways away, before taking a seat in the chair previously occupied by an Iwa dignitary. Next to her chair, a pillar of sand arose. Some of the sand began to brush off of the top revealing a scroll, which she leisurely grabbed.

"So, shall we start with today's business, Tanuki-chan?" Fumika asked in her usual seductive tone as she grabbed a pen from the pillar as well while unrolling the scroll. Kankuro slowly closed his eyes and let out a distraught sigh, anticipating another boring session. Reaching into a secret compartment on his person, he pulled out a small orange book with strange inscriptions on it as well as the number four written on the back.

"_Guess I should catch up with Kakashi on this. He's already on book six, and it's not even out yet_."

"I'm sorry for intruding, Gaara-sama. Have you seen Temari-san?" A teenage, female chuunin with short, brown hair stopping around her neck asked as she entered the room hastily.

"Calm down, Matsuri." Kankuro ordered as he flipped the page in the ever popular book, the girl straightening up due to respect of a jounin superior. "Temari will be here soon."

"If I may comment, wasn't Temari-san and her escorts supposed to have reached Sunagakure a while ago?" Fumika commented, not taking her gaze off of the scroll she was writing on.

"Now that you mention it…she should have been back here a while ago…" Kankuro said warily as he sat up straight in realization.

"KAZEKAGE-SAMA!" The familiar voice of Yura called out as he dashed into the room, his breaths heavy and labored as he came to a stop.

"Yura, what is it?" The puppeteer asked, almost dreading the response after taking note of how shaken up Yura seemed to be.

"Various explosions were seen in the southeastern desert just minutes ago. It seems that someone may be having a battle in that region." The jounin answered, calming down just a tad, before continuing on. "If my information is accurate, Team Mitarashi should be somewhere in the vicinity…"

"Is that all? If it's a battle against some dumbass bandits, I'm pretty sure Temari can handle it. There aren't any hostile ninja in that area anyway." The face painted nin remarked, leaning back in his chair once more.

"No, Kankuro-sama, that region contains one of our most deadly missing nin…Ketsueki…"

"Geruto," Gaara finished, standing slowly from his chair. "Wanted in the Sunagakure bingo book at sixty-five million ryou."

Everyone in the room instantly froze.

"I'll assemble a team immedi…" Yura began as he made a break for the door.

"No, Yura!" Gaara said in his usual empty tone. "Temari is my sister…"

In an instant, a torrent of sand appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and swirled around the Shukaku container wildly, similar to that of a tornado. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the vortex of sand vanished into the newly appeared gourd on his back, revealing his new outfit, which consisted of a pitch black zip-up robe, with white front trimmings. Across his chest was a tan sash/vest with various buckles holding the straps together and on his back lay his ever famous gourd.

"…and not as the Kazekage, but as her brother, it is my duty to ensure her safety." The redhead finished in the most badass tone he could muster, particles of his chakra enhanced sand floating around him aimlessly.

Both Matsuri and Fumika couldn't help but drool a little.

"Yura, stay here and do anything you can. Nobody must know that I am gone." Gaara said, looking over to Yura.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." The jounin responded, bowing respectfully.

"Kankuro,"

"Yeah, yeah; I'm coming!" The puppeteer answered, storing his book away for later reading.

"I'll go also, Gaara-sama," Matsuri remarked as she rushed to the side of her Kazekage.

"Make sure to be safe…my little Tanuki-chan." Fumika said with a wave coupled with a seductive wink directed at the redhead.

"Wait, what did she just call…" Matsuri began, before the same vortex of sand enveloped the three and dispersed, the trio of nin vanishing into thin air.

"Yura-sama, would you like some tea as well?" The black haired beauty asked the newly appointed 'substitute' Kazekage as she turned and gave a respectful nod.

"It would be much appreciated, Fumika-san." Yura replied graciously, the Kazekage secretary exiting the room while swaying her hips. The jounin leered lecherously at her retreating form.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, the man leaned back in the Gaara's chair, placing his hands behind his head in a resting manner.

"_Ah, that Fumika is something else_."

"Looks like you have a penis after all, Toshi-san!" A male voice called out to 'Yura' from somewhere in the room.

"Damn it, I told you not to sneak up on me Sai!" The disguised Toshi yelled in anger as he bolted up from his chair, noticing the darkly dressed boy leaning against the wall on his left.

"Toshi, would you stop your shouting, it's unbefitting for a shinobi." A calmer, female voice said from behind the brown haired man.

Toshi instantly tensed.

"Ah, Tatsumaki-chan; I wasn't aware that you were here." Sai remarked with his trademark fake smile and a small empty wave to the woman standing before him. Her hair was a dark brown and tied up into one long pony tail, but her facial features were covered completely by a mask with the theme of an owl. She wore the standard ANBU attire, a katana with a pure white handle strapped across her back.

"That's because I'm here on personal business." She replied curtly in a low voice as she crossed her arms.

"Personal or not, Tatsumaki-chan…" Toshi spit out, his voiced laced with sarcasm and malice. "You still have a job to do. So I suggest, for the good of us all, that you do it and you…"

Toshi was instantly cut off by a soft, but threatening hand wrapping itself around his neck, preventing him from getting off another word. The ninja gasped for air, doing all he could to remove her hold, but all his efforts failed.

"You best watch your tongue, boy, or you might say something that you'll definitely regret." She snarled violently before releasing her grip on Toshi's neck and disappearing in a swirl of wind.

"Toshi-san, you dumbass. You should know better than to cross Tatsumaki-chan…especially after…he died." Sai remarked, staring down at the ninja who was spastically hyperventilating on the floor. "Well anyways, I guess I'll be off. Just be glad she didn't rip off your dick. See ya, Toshi-san." With a flash and a fake smile, Sai was gone also.

"Damn it, she didn't have to go and attack me like that." The still disguised Toshi thought, standing to his feet and stumbling towards the door from lack of air. "I'll deal with her later. Right now, I have a job to do." Mimicking the other two, the man also disappeared.

"I hope you like strawberry tea, Yura-san," Fumika called out with a smile as she entered the room with a fresh tray full of tea, only to notice seconds later that she was the only one present.

"Ummm…Yura-san?" She scanned the room one more time, walking over to the Kazekage's desk before noticing something outside of the window, a fairly good distance away.

"Looks like a sandstorm is coming."

**(With Anko)**

"NARUTO!!!"

Anko broke down.

For the first time since Orochimaru betrayed her and left her for dead, she fell to her knees…and broke down.

She didn't completely understand why either. Many of her teammates and comrades that were just seemingly invincible had died in situations similar to this. Many of her peers had died in more horrible ways, adding to the fact that she knew them longer than Naruto had been alive, but for some reason, his death hurt her more.

Anko's rage began to come to the surface.

Never to be able to see his smiling face again. The way he tried to act all serious and tough, but still maintained that childlike purity and moral soundness…especially towards women. Naruto was just one of those guys that came once in a lifetime…no, millennia.

And now he was gone.

Anko immediately stood to her feet, her hands clenched tightly.

"Damn you, you bastard." She mumbled under her breath, the cursed seal that snake bastard gave her beginning to reemerge on her neck.

"He had it coming. It was a simple trick to figure out, once I had all the information I needed. That weird kunai generates a field of some sort around it, hence the chakra signature I sensed before." Ketsueki began to gloat with a malevolent smile. "The boy could transport anywhere in that field…but that's where the weakness was."

The heaven seal on Anko's neck was fully visible and it began to grow, if only slightly.

"He could only transport in _that_ field. I had a second hunch, and it was that he could only transport if the kunai was in the ground, otherwise he wouldn't aim downward every time. I took a gamble…and it paid off."

The seal's influence began to spread, the dark markings crawling up her shoulder and over the right half of her face. Her irises began to turn yellow as the rest of her eyes became an opaque black.

"And now that he's dead, all that's left…is to kill you."

Ketsueki snapped his fingers, the sound resonating throughout the air. Tsume, his partner wolf, picked up the sound and immediately sprang into action. Anko's head craned to the side and she looked over her shoulder, directing her piercing gaze at the wolf that came closer with each passing second.

The wolf closed in on the snake mistress at the same time she pulled out a kunai from a holster on her right leg. The canine opened its maw, aiming straight for her neck.

Out of nowhere, a swift spinning kick sent the dog flying back to its previous position as it skidded to a halt. The proprietor of said kick mirrored the dog as he skidded to a halt as well.

Anko's heaven seal immediately ceased its spreading as her eyes widened, changing back from the deep yellow and black to her normal eye color as she seemingly began to regain consciousness; although the cursed markings remained in place.

"N-Naruto?" She stuttered out in disbelief as she shook her head.

"_B-But how did he_…" Ketsueki asked himself as he scanned over the blonde. "_There's no way he survived; I saw the blood_." The mercenary looked down at the Kyuubi jailor's right leg. "_I didn't think he was capable of something like that. This kid actually stabbed his leg with his own kunai to escape. The blood I saw was indeed his, but he stabbed his veins at just the right angle to make it spew out from his leg while he escaped under the cover of the explosion. He overcame the force of the trap with pain_."

Without saying a word, Naruto reached down and grabbed the handle of the projectile knife; and with one jerk removed it, wincing slightly at the pain. In almost the exact same second, he threw the kunai at his opponent, only to fail as Ketsueki caught it in between his index and middle fingers.

"_That's strange, that doesn't feel like Naruto. The chakra is more…sinister. What's going on_?" Anko contemplated as she eyed the back of Naruto warily.

"I gotta say, boy; I don't know a lot of guys that would just stab themselves like that. You've got guts; I'll give ya that…" Ketsueki began. "I think I'm going to have fun ripping you and all your little girlfriends apart limb…by…limb."

Anko heard a low growl eminating from the blonde boy. She could feel the Kyuubi's chakra beginning to surface; and to be honest…

It scared her.

"And of course, before I trade in the red head and claim the rest of my reward, I think I might have a little…fun with her. Haven't had any action in a while and she's quite the female." He continued, giving off a slight chuckle.

A malevolent red cloak of chakra began to envelop the Kyuubi jailor. Both Ketsueki and Anko's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and terror. Even the mercenary's wolf began to tremble in fear. One vibrant red chakra-tail began to form on Naruto's backside.

**(With Temari)**

In a more isolated part of the desert, Temari stood looking down at the blood and gash covered Ichiro, her closed fan resting right next to her. The desert winds seemed to blow all around them, giving the atmosphere an eerie feel.

"I'm sorry, Temari-san. I wish this could have been avoided. You all seem like nice people." Ichiro stated quietly, breaking the tense silence. Temari continued standing immobile, her face covered in a shroud of impassiveness as she looked down at the man.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected you to respond." Ichiro chuckled lightly, before entering into a violent cough. Temari kept her emotionless face up as she placed her fan back into its proper position. "But I can't help but wonder that if we had met under different circumstances…could we have been friends?" He turned his head towards her, barely managing to see her face.

Temari still didn't answer.

"I thought not." He said with another muffled chuckle. "But…would you mind if I asked you one more question?" His head turned back up to face towards the glaring sun, and continued, knowing he most likely wouldn't get an answer.

"When you asked me about being suspicious of someone, you were referring to those leaf ninja, but me, weren't you?" He asked.

Temari graced him with an answer, nodding her head in an up and down motion slowly.

With his last bit of energy, he managed to give her a small smile and his final parting words as he closed his eyes.

"Humph, figures."

Temari cautiously approached him, knelt down, and placed two fingers under his right cheek towards his neck. After not hearing a pulse, she was fully convinced that he was dead.

Out of nowhere, a feeling of dread began to wash over her as she literally began to shake in fear. She fell to the ground, trying desperately to get a hold of herself, but to no avail.

"_What the hell? Where is all this power coming from_?"

Her eyes darted back and forth, noticing a bright red aura in the distance, the power of which shook her to the core.

"_Wait, that direction is where…Naruto_."

"Temari-san, do you know what's going on over there?" Sakura asked as she leapt from seemingly out of nowhere to land right next to Temari.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll find out. Where's Akane-san?" She asked after confirming that the scarlet haired kunoichi was nowhere in sight.

"I lost track of her after Jiro and Saburo split us up. Don't worry, she can handle herself…" The medic nin replied with a small smirk as she turned around to see a dead Ichiro lying on the ground behind the two of them. "…and apparently, so can you." She said as she sweat dropped.

"Never mind that, we have to go. I'm not getting a good feeling from that aura. It doesn't even feel human." Temari reminded her and with a quick nod from Sakura, the two ran at full speed towards the area.

"_Naruto…please just be careful_."

**(With Naruto and Anko)**

Ketsueki was generally not one to feel fear in the face of danger, he was a cold, highly trained mercenary and to show fear in his profession was like asking for death.

But this…this was asking too much.

"_This…This chakra…there's no way it's human. This boy…he couldn't be a Jinchuuriki, could he_?" The mercenary thought fearfully as he looked on at the blood red chakra tail emerging from Naruto.

"_Damn it, something is happening with the Kyuubi. If Naruto loses control of it, I don't want to think of the consequences_." Anko thought inwardly as her cursed seal marks once again began to spread across her body.

Naruto's canines began to grow into a more fox like state, his pupil's became almost nothing but crimson slits and his hands were closer to claws than they were a human hands. The red chakra now completely encompassed him, the first tail of the Kyuubi waving around in all of its pride.

"What exactly are you…boy?" Ketsueki asked reluctantly, almost dreading the answer.

Rather than answering his question, the one tailed Naruto plunged his left claw deep into the sand viciously. The wolf themed mercenary and his pet looked on, wondering what exactly he was doing.

A low rumbling sound began to emerge from the ground. It was then that Ketsueki realized what the transformed blonde was attempting. Him and his wolf both leapt into the air as a blood red chakra arms surface upwardly from the position the two occupied only seconds ago. The arm curved slightly, managing to grip the leg of Ketsueki's wolf. The canine whimpered as the demon chakra began to burn its skin and fur.

Once his grip on the dog's leg was firmly situated, the transformed Naruto pulled at said arm, causing the chakra appendage to retract at a incredible rate, the dog plummeting with it. The hound crashed into the sand ridden earth with a thud and the one tailed shinobi's chakra retracted back to his main form.

"_I_ _can't just keep dodging his attacks. I need to go onto the offensive_." Ketsueki thought as he landed onto the ground once more. After performing a quick dog seal, the man rushed straight for the blonde on all four appendages.

The one tailed Naruto let out a menacing growl before shooting off another chakra claw at Ketsueki. Sidestepping to the left, Ketsueki dodged the claw.

"_Now's my chance…Tsuuga (Piercing Fang)_!" In a matter of seconds, the wolf themed mercenary was barreling towards Naruto while spinning at an unimaginable speed, the chakra arm Naruto had made retracting at the same rate. "_That attack is essentially just like a weapon tied to a stretchable rope, which means it needs to be retracted after use. If I hit him before he can fully retract the arm, he won't have an opening to react_."

Naruto fully retracted the claw, but by the time he had successfully completed the task, Ketsueki was already close enough to strike. Just as the Gatsuuga was about to connect with the blonde fox boy, the transformed Naruto let out a deafening howl, creating a shockwave like explosion, the force of which blew his opponent away.

"Tsume!" The goatee sporting mercenary called out right before he hit the ground a couple feet away.

Out from the sand behind him, Ketsueki's pet wolf emerged, claw outstretched and attempting to slice the one tailed Naruto in half. The attempt proved futile yet again as the transformed Kyuubi container made a speedy three hundred sixty degree turn, using his tail as a whip to swat the dog away. Almost mirroring its master, the dog flew from the force of the hit at a great speed.

Though the direction it sailed towards just happened to be where Anko stood.

Naruto threw another chakra arm at the still airborne hound, attempting to finish it off in a nicely executed combo move. The claw was only inches away from the dog, when out of nowhere; Ketsueki appeared and clutched the dog in his arms while simultaneously ducking out of harm's way and skidding to a halt a few meters away.

"Gotcha, brat." He stated with a smirk.

"_Shit, its coming straight towards me_." Anko remarked inwardly as she attempted to dodge but failed painfully. The claw of chakra slashed her left deltoid muscle as she shifted to the right, the cursed seal's influence once again continuing its growth.

Seeing the blood cascade out from her shoulder caused the bloodlust of the Kyuubified Naruto to skyrocket dramatically. He let out another vicious roar before preparing to launch another chakra claw and finish off the tokubetsu jounin. The claw elongated, soaring through the air at a speed the purple haired kunoichi knew she couldn't avoid, even with the cursed seal active. At the moment, that was pretty much the only thing keeping her from fainting from blood loss.

She cringed as it came closer with each passing second. She couldn't really blame Naruto if she happened to die, considering the fact that he had only transformed in order to protect her.

She found it quite ironic.

The claw was only a few feet away, still charging madly at her. She closed her eyes and managed a small smirk.

Anko felt a warm pair of arms wrapped around her midsection as a small gust blew over her. To her, it didn't actually feel like an embrace, but more of she was being carried out of harm's way by whoever's arms these were. What confused her the most, though, was that they felt…feminine.

"I guess dying with a smirk would look pretty cool, Anko-sensei, but let's save that for another time, shall we." The familiar voice of a certain pink haired medic nin remarked with warm sarcasm and a smile as the tokubetsu jounin's eyes creaked open.

"Looks like we made it just in time." Temari noted as she unsheathed her fan from its position on her back and spread it open with finesse. She scanned the area, making note of the position of Ketsueki, his partner animal, and…

"_What the hell…what is that thing_?"

Temari could do nothing except for stare at Naruto in a mix of confusion and terror, and Sakura joined with her. The face of the blonde boy both Sakura and Temari had come to know looked the same in appearance, although more animalistic and bloodthirsty, but the scarlet colored chakra couldn't help and convince them otherwise.

"Anko-sensei, is that who I think it is?" Sakura asked in slight hesitation as she began a Shōsen no Jutsu _(Mystical Palm Technique)_ on the wounded tokubetsu jounin, almost as if she _knew_ what the answer would be.

"Yeah," Anko replied with a grimace. "The thing that you see before you is Naruto."

Both Temari and Sakura instantly froze, not a single part of their body moving other than their eyes growing wide in astonishment.

Out of nowhere another chakra claw seemed to fly straight towards the trio of girls. Reacting on base shinobi reflexes alone, Temari lifted her fan and performed a leap to the left, while Sakura slung Anko over her shoulder and mirrored the Suna jounin.

"Sakura, get Anko-san back to fighting ability while I hold the both of them off." Temari barked as she reopened her fan and held it up in her own battle stance.

"_Hmmm…a three person battle. Looks like it's every man for themselves_." Ketsueki thought as he stood to his feet after rescuing his canine companion. "_This should be fun_,"

"_I would have never guessed that Naruto was a Jinchuuriki as well…though it would explain a lot of things_." Temari reasoned inwardly as her gaze fell upon the ever growing fox form that was currently the blonde shinobi. "_But for now, I need to hold you and this wolf bastard off until we get Anko up and running_." Planting her fan into the ground, she reached for a kunai in her holster and cut off a large portion of her black kimono, cutting the bottom half into a short skirt that didn't leave much to the imagination about her legs.

All three opponents stared each other down venomously, waiting for the other to move.

"Alright, let's go wild!" Ketsueki made a charge at the fan wielding Suna jounin, once again on all four of his appendages. At the same time, the Kyuubi induced Naruto imitated him and made a dash at the wolf themed mercenary, both running in a straight line at Temari. The wind mistress readied her fan in defense.

Naruto, who was a good fifteen feet directly behind the mercenary, launched a signature chakra claw in a straight line at Ketsueki.

"_Looks like the boy lost most of his reasoning in whatever form that is. He already fell for this trick once_." Ketsueki, still running on all fours, edged to the right by a few inches, the chakra claw missing him only by a hairs breadth as he continued his beeline at Temari beside it.

"_Damn it, that idiot fell for it._" Temari brought her fan around, preparing for an attack on the two enemies as she sidestepped the chakra claw in the nick of time. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu_ (Cutting Whirlwind Technique)_!"

With one heave of her iron fan, a huge gust of wind swept over most of the area, causing both Naruto and Ketsueki to stop in their tracks and shield themselves. Before they could bounce back from the attack, Temari launched another _Kamaitachi no Jutsu_ at the pair, once again making both halt their progress and actually blowing away Ketsueki somewhat.

"Sakura, how much longer?" Temari called out as she hammered her two opponents with another slashing gust of wind.

"Give me at least, thirty more seconds. Her cursed seal is making it difficult to properly heal her." The pink haired kunoichi replied, the green chakra causing the wound in her left deltoid and arm to diminish somewhat. Though, the ever expanding marks didn't help the process much.

"You've got twenty." Temari ordered as another wave of wind came about from her swinging of the iron fan.

The Suna jounin was growing tired from this. Each wave of wind she created seemed to be growing weaker than the last and the one tailed Naruto was less and less affected by each one. To add to that, she had completely loss track of her other enemy and his wolf. That would most likely come back to bite her at another time.

The blood red chakra enveloping Naruto began to violently spasm, causing Temari to cease her barrage and stare in confusion, if only for a second. From what she could see, a second tail-like appendage was beginning to emerge from his back side.

"_Shit_!" Was the only word that could fit the wind mistress' current mindset as she prepared for another, more intense, barrage of wind. "Dai Kamaitachi no Jutsu _(Great Cutting Whirlwind Technique)_!"

The force of the wind in this technique was roughly double the size and strength of the previous windblast, causing the Kyuubi Naruto to cringe as the flurry of air smashed into him. Digging his claws into the sand, the chakra covered blonde managed to find stability in the squall, albeit barely; but began to give in under the intense pressure.

During the struggle against the wind, the second tail began to complete its emergence. As it completely formed, the now two tailed boy stood on all fours, the continuing force of the wind seemingly losing its effect as he slowly crawled towards the Suna jounin like a lion stalking its prey.

Temari launched another gust of wind, hoping against all hope that she was buying Sakura enough time to get Anko up to speed. The once great and powerful technique seemed to have absolutely no effect on the two tailed boy.

With one giant leap, Naruto soared into the air and landed in front of the girl with enough force to knock even the seasoned jounin off of her feet. It achieved just that result as she fell back in a mix of pain and terror.

She looked on as the boy stalked towards her with the malevolent of smiles. Images of Gaara's earlier transformations into the wicked demon Shukaku flooded her mind. She noticed the similarities between the transformed Gaara and the beast that inched closer to her with each passing second. The horrible growls and roars, the constant fear of being ripped apart, the sheer killing intent that seemed to poor out from him.

Naruto's figure hovered over her and stared down at her form, placing him on top of her and looking down into the sheer fear in her eyes. The crimson chakra covering him began to burn at her skin, but she could do nothing as she was pinned down by his sheer killing intent alone. He raised a single arm as high as he could, intending to pierce it directly through the wind mistress. Temari's face seemed to show even more fear, if it was even possible. Naruto's arm twitched in a downward motion and she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

After failing to receive it, She opened her eyes ever so slowly to see the blonde boy frozen in place, as if struggling with himself. Looking into his eyes, they began to turn back to their original bluish color, his expression softening with them.

"T-Tem-Temari-chan?" The boy managed to get out with a hint of guilt behind it. Temari's demeanor instantly donned a surprise look.

"Sen'eitajashu _Hidden Shadow Many Snakes Hand)_!" From the sand around the wind mistress, and almost uncountable number of snakes surfaced, wrapping around the two tailed blonde as he screamed out in pain. His eyes flashed back to their fiery red almost instantaneously.

It was then that Anko emerged from the sand only a foot behind the blonde with a confident smirk plastered across her face, Sakura right next to her and mimicking her facial expression. Coming from out of her sleeves were midsections of many snakes, which rooted themselves into the sand, before resurfacing and restraining the blonde by wrapping their slithering forms around him. A strange thing about them was that they were all a light blue color.

"We got him, Temari-san." Anko remarked victoriously as she performed a one handed seal with her left hand. Two of the many snakes enveloping the two tailed Naruto slithered up to his neck as he struggled to break free. Opening their jaws and baring their venomous fangs, the duo of serpents plunged into the blondes chakra covered neck, causing the boy to violently spasm.

"Don't worry, it's a nerve poison that affects only the cerebellum of the brain." Anko said triumphantly, before continuing. "It should render his mobility and coordination useless and hopefully we'll be able to calm him down."

But as they looked on, the Kyuubi induced blonde looked to be doing anything but calming down.

"_Damn it, it's not working. That bastard fox's chakra must be neutralizing the nerve poison_." Anko mentally cursed as she looked on at the ever growing red chakra, loosing focus for only a fraction of a second.

As Temari stood to her feet and reorganized herself to defend if Naruto broke free from his restraints, she, along with Anko, momentarily took her attention off of her surroundings.

And that was all the time he needed.

Ketsueki pounced from the sand directly in front of the wind mistress with a kunai in each hand. Reacting as quickly as she could, Temari desperately reached for her iron fan, succeeding in time to completely open it and parry his attack.

"Nice try, but you made it too obvious." Temari noted smugly as a smirk crossed her face. The wolf themed mercenary only glared into her eyes, before grinning sadistically from ear to ear.

"Did I really?"

From behind the Suna jounin, an exact replica of Ketsueki burst from the sand, twirling a kunai around his index finger before gripping it with finesse. Before Temari even had the time to blink, the man put her in a chokehold and held the kunai knife to her lower throat.

Sakura instantly rushed to the spot, only to freeze right before he reached them as the Ketsueki that Temari had previously blocked preventing her from going any farther.

"Even if you were to get past Tsume, my kunai is placed near her internal jugular vein. One small movement of my wrist, and she dies from internal bleeding." Ketsueki gloated.

Sakura cringed, mostly because he was one hundred percent accurate in his prediction.

"_Anko-sensei is restraining Naruto right now and it looks like it won't hold up much longer. The moment Temari-san moves, she's dead. Even if I were to heal her, who knows how much damage the bleeding might cause. And to add onto that, I have to deal with this guy, who I'm not even sure is the real enemy, or the dog_."

More snakes began to flow from Anko's sleeves, joining the others already constricting the blonde and further restricting his movement. The currently possessed Jinchuuriki struggled for dominance over the serpents, but his thrashing gradually began to subside, although the currently two tailed aura did not.

"_He's calming down. Maybe the poison did work after all_." Anko thought, smirking inwardly as she trotted to the two tailed boy and the others looking on, the snakes still connected to the inside of her sleeves.

The closer the purpled haired woman got to the Kyuubi container, the more she began to hear a low growling sound emanating from him, but merely chalked it up as him settling down, although she was still very cautious in her approach.

But him settling down was far from the truth.

Almost instantaneously, a third tail bubbled up from the chakra cloak surprising everyone in the area and getting a raised eyebrow from Ketsueki. A deafening howl followed suit, literally ripping the snakes restraining him apart.

"Damn, Sen'eitajashu _Hidden Shadow Many Snakes Hand)_!" She called out again as another flood of snakes raced into the ground and reemerged from said ground around Naruto, wrapping around him once again and filling in for the recently destroyed ones. Her efforts proved in vain as the crimson chakra shroud began to grow outward, not in the form of a fox but similar to a giant bubble, strands of Kyuubi's chakra whipping around him violently. The snakes surrounding him began to literally burn off, catching flames of chakra as more rushed from Anko's sleeves to fill their place.

Without warning, the boy let out another howl, the likes of which was never heard previously. The chakra bubble around him exploded in all directions, tearing and destroying the ground around him for hundreds of meters. Everyone in the vicinity was blown back by the roar much less the explosion, which only added to the force they were sent flying.

Slamming her right hand into the ground, Anko summoned a rather large, light blue snake from the ground while bringing forth matching ones to catch and swallow Sakura and Temari, who were already being blown away from the force of the blast. The giant serpents swallowed her and the other two kunoichi with one gulp.

The blast of chakra caught up to the slithering beasts as they were ripped and burned apart much like the previous lesser snakes that restrained Naruto prior. The group was once again sent flying to unknown locations as the blonde followed up with one last roar that completely dissipated the Kyuubi's chakra.

Completely devoid of any of the nine tails energy, a now normal blue eyed Naruto began to stumble before collapsing onto the sand.

**(Kyuubi's Seal)**

As the blonde Jinchuuriki began to stir from his state of unconsciousness, he noticed that he was in the all too memorable passageway of his mind…which just happened to be a grimy sewer. He never did understand why, out of all things, it _was_ a sewer. He had always imagined it would be something much nicer…like a lush forest, or a peaceful lake…or a ramen stand.

Yeah, definitely should've been a ramen stand.

Back when Jiraiya had pushed him off of that cliff (which he made a mental note to return the favor at a later date), said sewer had seemed rather clean when he entered it...for a sewer, that is. But recently, it had been becoming more disgusting and putrid as time dragged on. He supposed it had to do with that bastard fox sealed up inside him messing with his brain or something to that effect.

But then again, there was the off chance that maybe it reflected the state of his mind and not the Kyuubi. He had been subjected to the workings and mind of the world's greatest (and most blatant) pervert for a minimum of three years. Not to mention he had read almost the entire series of said pervert's novels…out of sheer boredom, mind you, but still. Maybe, just maybe, this might be the mental manifestation of all of Jiraiya's perverted ways making themselves known throughout his subconscious.

Yeah right, like that could be it.

The blonde shrugged off his musings in favor of hopping to his feet, which he did with the finesse and grace…of a one legged dog, but made it to a proper standing position no less. After brushing off his clothes a little, he made his way down the hallway at a leisurely pace until he came across the familiar room that housed the great nine tailed fox. As he entered, he could feel the piercing eyes of the fox behind the bars staring intently at his form and couldn't help but be entranced by them as his pupils dilated.

"**Why do you reject me boy, do you not want my power. With my help, anything you desire can be yours**." The great Kyuubi bellowed as a large mass of crimson bubbles began to froth from the murky puddles of water across the floor, finally taking the shape of the front half of the great demon.

The blonde made no comment but continued to stagger towards the fox, almost as if he was in a trance. His blue eyes repeatedly began switching between blue and red, almost as if deciding on a color, and his facial features began turning more feral in appearance.

"_Naruto…_"

"**That man tried to take away your precious people, did he not?**" The fox coaxed again, a portion of the bubbles branching out on both sides of the mass to form a pair of arms that began to close in on him.

"_Naruto…wake up_."

"**What you felt before was only a small taste of my vast chakra**. **Come, boy. Let us show him what **_**true**_** power is.**" The fox's arms moved in a pincer motion at the blonde, the large claws composed of the scarlet bubbles encasing him completely as red chakra began to swirl around his form.

The mindscape Naruto's canines began to elongate, his fingernails mimicking them as they began to resemble claws. He began to lose all traits of his human self once again.

"_Naruto…_"

The Kyuubi's influence over him began to increase as even more chakra began to spiral around him, forming what resembled a massive vortex with him in the dead center.

"_Naruto!"_

He crouched on all fours, exactly like a wild beast, though closer resembling a fox. The Kyuubi smirked venomously. There was no escaping now.

"_NARUTO!!!_"

The almost completely transformed Naruto clutched his head in unbearable pain as the vortex of crimson chakra dissipated almost instantaneously. The Kyuubi hadn't even known what had hit him as the blonde let out an agonizing yell, completely shattering the bubbling form that was the fox into a puddle of murky water once again.

**(Reality)**

"Naruto…Naruto, come on. Wake up already!" Anko called towards the lifeless body of the blonde Jinchuuriki as she nudged him continuously, hoping to get some sort of response, no matter how minute.

The tokubetsu jounin had managed to drag herself and the boy to the safety of a nearby cave. Of course, this action came with its costs, as it forced her to use the cursed seal influence in order to gather the strength needed. She offhandedly noted that the boy weighed a lot more then he looked. Perhaps she should force him to add some vegetables in his diet or something of that nature.

Perhaps she should feed them to him herself…without using a utensil…or her hands.

Putting all sexual oriented thoughts about the blonde aside, she continued to nudge him, the cursed seal already having fully enveloped her entire body. Her efforts proved a success as the golden haired boy began to stir in his sleep, cracking his eyes open at the sound of her voice calling his name.

"Huh…Anko-sensei…is that you?" Naruto asked as he sat up hastily…only to fall right back down from the pain racking his abdominal area while letting out a few, muffled curses…followed by a few not so muffled ones as his pain receptors caught up with him. He gripped his sides aggressively, hoping to ease some of the agony, but to no avail.

"Naru-chan, are you feeling alright?" Anko asked as she placed a delicate hand on the boy's forehead with her left hand while simultaneously handing him a canteen of water with her right.

The boy took the canteen hesitantly, gazing at the skin of the snake themed tokubetsu jounin, which was covered in the cursed seal's markings.

His demeanor instantly turned solemn while turning his head to face the ceiling of the cave.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Anko's eyes shifted down slightly as her mood dampened.

"Don't worry about it now, Naru-chan. Just relax for right now and…" Anko was quickly interrupted by the blonde sitting up rapidly once again, only this time not flinching in pain.

"No…I'm going to worry about it; because too many people's lives have been lost to that damn seal…" Naruto cerulean orbs gazed intently into her own eyes with a sense of determination and compassion that she had never witnessed before in her entire life.

"…And I'm not about to lose another."

Anko almost teared up at his proclamation; almost being the appropriate word as she just barely managed to hold back a droplet from running down her cheek.

"It was a while ago, before you became a shinobi." Anko began her tale, bringing her knees in front of her as something to rest on, before continuing. "I was one of Orochimaru's pupils and the only one out of ten that survived his twisted experiments."

Naruto clenched his fist tightly.

"Even after all of the things he did to me, all the things he subjected me to, all the innocents he made me kill in cold blood to make me into an _efficient_ ninja…"

Naruto's eyes flashed red for a split second, before returning to their natural, pure blue color.

"…it still wasn't enough for him, and he threw me away like a piece of trash…and left me to die."

The blonde's head hung low in despair as she continued.

"Being one of his former students, the people of Konoha couldn't come to trust me, even though the Third had made it very clear that I was innocent. For a good portion of my life, I was border lining the position of village pariah, being shunned by the villagers and finding acceptance in only a handful shinobi. I fight this seal every single day of my life, to make sure it doesn't take me over…"

Anko ceased her speech as she looked down to see a Hiraishin kunai implanted in the ground only centimeters before her. Before she had time to register what the knife was doing there in the first place, a familiar pair of fairly muscular arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her into a gentle and compassionate embrace.

"I know what it's like to fight a never ending battle. I know what it's like to be used and betrayed by the one you looked up to the most. And I know what it's like to be hated and despised by the people you protect on a daily basis."

Anko leaned helplessly into the blonde as he continued.

"I know what it's like, Anko-sensei…and you don't have to carry this burden yourself."

The snake mistress couldn't explain it if she wanted to…and right now, explaining it was the last thing on her mind. The warm feeling that began to surface from inside her, his words of sincerity and compassion, the sense of security; all of it was just so overwhelming for her.

Her who had never been given a gentle embrace like this one. Her who had never been given so much tenderness and care from just one person. Her who had never felt so safe in all of her life.

And the tears flowed forth.

"From now on, I promise that I'll make the pain go away. I promise that I will carry this burden with you…"

The cursed seal marks began retracting back into the normal form of the seal at an incredible rate as the blonde continued to soothe her, caressing her back with his hand all the while.

"…and I promise you're not going to feel alone anymore…"

The seal was fully retracted at this point as Anko gently let go of their embrace, staring longingly into the blondes eyes, the tears she held back before freely flowing down her cheeks. Though evident by the genuine smile on her face, they were definitely tears of joy.

"…And, one way or another, I always keep my promises…because that's my ninja way." He finished coolly with a nice guy pose and a smile as a slight draft swept through the brightly lit cave, making his hair and all articles of loose clothing sway in the wind.

"Thank you…Naruto Uzumaki." Anko said, returning his smile as she dried up her tears. "_You never cease to amaze me_."

"Don't mention it, Anko-sen…wait, did you just call me what I think you called me?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Called you what, Naru-chan?" She responded in playful innocence, causing the blonde to sweat drop.

"Never mind." The blonde replied, standing to his feet before offering a hand to the purple haired jounin. "Well, shall we get going?" He said as she accepted his offer and placed her hand in his. With one pull, she was up off of the ground, but the force of the pull proved too much for her chakra drained body to handle as she stumbled a bit and fell forward. Naruto was able to catch her in the nick of time, though, holding her in an embrace that was much more…provocative than the last one; what with his hands situated very close to her breasts.

"Ah Naru-chan, keep that up and you'll definitely be getting some once we reach Suna." Anko winked seductively, causing the boy to turn beet red once again at her words, which she thought was rather cute…coming from the apprentice of the world's greatest pervert.

"Speaking of that, do you know what happened to that guy?" Naruto asked, turning serious all of a sudden.

"No idea, I was too caught up with protecting Temari and Sakura that I lost track of him." Anko admitted. "That and I'm completely drained of chakra."

"Then I'll just take him on myself." The golden haired Jinchuuriki declared.

"Hold on. Just because I said I was basically out of chakra doesn't mean I can't fight." She interrupted curtly with a smirk.

"Well then, if you can fight, Anko-sensei; let's go kick this guy's ass." Naruto remarked confidently.

"Before you do that, Naruto-kun. There's still something you need to do…" Anko interrupted him with a smirk.

"Really, what?"

"Put me down."

**(Elsewhere in the Wind Country)**

A young woman, most likely between her twenties or thirties, pushed open the door and stepped into a bar, almost like in a western themed movie. She wore a pure white kimono that fit snugly over her slender frame. Her face was obstructed from view by a sakkat, where a clear linen hung down from the very tip of it. On her back was somewhat large bag that slung over her shoulder. Even with her face being unseen, it was obvious that she was very beautiful.

Though, this scene seemed familiar to her, with the exception of two escorts accompanying her, both dressed in complete ANBU attire. In fact, this exact scene had been played out just the other day, when she had hired Ketsueki to take out the group from Konoha.

Regardless of the sense of déjà vu, the trio walked calmly and sedately into the establishment, which was littered with mercenaries.

"It's her!" One of them shouted as he pointed to Hikari and her subordinates. Every person in the room turned their heads toward her as a cold sweat covered every single mercenary's face.

"Relax; I'm not here to hurt you." She said in a monotone voice as her two ANBU lackeys walked up to either side of her. None of the mercenaries found comfort in her words at all as the tension only seemed to rise. "…that is, if you follow my orders."

Everyone in the room blanked.

"Your leader, Ketsueki Geruto, has been killed at the hands of a man named Naruto Uzumaki." The ANBU to the left of Hikari spoke just as blankly as she had.

"THERE'S NO WAY BOSS WOULD BE KILLED BY SOME KID. HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS ANYWAY…?" The mercenary that rocketed up out of his chair in a fit of rage just as quickly found himself pinned to the wall behind him by a kunai through his shoulder. He let out a groan of agony as he tried his best to remove it, but without fruitful results.

"Because I saw it with my own eyes…and if you don't want to end up the same way, I suggest you keep your mouth shut." Said the stoic Hikari in a monotone voice. Nobody else made a sound.

"Now that your leader is gone, we'll be telling you what to do from now on. Anybody got a problem with that?" The portly ANBU on the other side of Hikari asked with a malicious grin, though it was hidden behind his pig mask. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone moving for a katana on their back slowly, but with a well placed kunai, the threat was easily dealt with. The group of mercenaries all flinched slightly, but made no sound. "Good, you guys are learning."

"So, what exactly are you planning to do, _leader_?" One of the tougher looking mercenary's asked venomously as he leaned back in his seat.

"Nothing too difficult. We're just going to finish what Ketsueki started." The portly ANBU on the right of the white robed Hikari answered, grinning ear to ear behind his mask.

"Wait…you don't mean…" The mercenary questioned in disbelief.

"Yeah…we do. So get your stuff together boys…" The large ANBU replied triumphantly. "…We're taking a little expedition…to Sunagakure."

**(With Naruto and Anko)**

Naruto and Anko dashed across the desert at a speedy pace, managing to overcome the strong wind that was blowing against them. The duo had been traveling at full speed for a good while now, neither feeling the least bit exhausted.

Of course, Anko was still feeling a little emotional…and horny…from the 'intimate' conversation she had with Naruto a while ago, but she put those feelings aside in order to better combat there currently missing enemy.

All of a sudden, the snake mistress halted in her tracks, holding out a hand that signaled for her blonde interest to cease as well, which he did so wordlessly and with a nod of confirmation.

Acting on base reflexes alone, both of the Konoha nin leapt back a rather large distance as an all too familiar silver wolf emerged from the sand with claws outstretched, missing the two by a hair's breadth. As the dust that surrounded it cleared, the human form of Ketsueki could clearly be made out.

"I was wondering when you would come out of hiding, Goatee-teme." Naruto jeered, preparing himself for combat once again.

"Brat, you wouldn't happen to be a Jinchuuriki, would you?" The mercenary asked in a solemn tone, staring into the boy's blue eyes with all the seriousness in the world. "There's no way that red chakra could be human, and if I'm not mistaken, it reeked of fox."

Naruto flinched ever so slightly, but returned to his confident demeanor with a matching smirk only seconds later.

"Yeah, is that a crime?"

Ketsueki's stare only turned more ill-omened, which unnerved the two Konoha nin for a split second.

"Actually, yes…" He began as he started at a pouch on his sand colored, camouflage cargo pants, successfully pulling out a larger than average soldier pill. After one fluid motion from his pocket to his mouth and a few up and down movements of his jaw, the pill and all its effects were down his esophagus.

In seconds, the visible effects of the pill began to show. All of Ketsueki's muscles began to bulge to levels unheared of. Chakra began to literally radiate out of every pore of his body, similar to the effects of the eight gates of the chakra system. The glow from said chakra was almost ethereal. With the utmost seriousness, Ketsueki gave him a glare that could almost cause the Kyuubi himself to flinch.

"…Yes, it is."

In less time than it took to actually blink from the surprise of Ketsueki vanishing into thin air, the wolf themed man himself was already behind both the blonde Jinchuuriki and the tokubetsu jounin; his right arm raised high into the air and prepared to deal a devastating blow.

"MoukenHyourouGan _(Savage Dog Soldier Provision Pill)_!"

With all the strength in their legs, the Konoha nin leapt as far above the ground as their bodies would take them as Ketsueki plunged a fist into the sandy ground with strength close to that of a bull elephant…on soldier pills. The effect of this action was the explosion of sand and chunks of gravel and debris being blown high into the air.

Naruto and Anko landed with grace a fair distance away, still in repressed shock at the raw power that Ketsueki displayed.

"_That wasn't any ordinary soldier pill he took_."

"Hey, Anko-sensei, I'm taking this guy on alone. I can't risk transforming again, especially if you're around." Naruto remarked, starting to gather an immense amount of chakra. Anko eyed him warily with a glint of worry in her eyes, but that was instantly quelled by the blonde's next statement.

"I'll be alright, I promise."

Finding comfort in his words, Anko initiated a body flicker and vanished, intent on finding the whereabouts of Temari and Sakura.

"That's pretty noble of you…for a demon, anyway." Ketsueki remarked blankly as he spat out the end of his phrase venomously. Naruto returned his hateful words with just another one of his confident, foxy grins.

"Shut up and fight!"

Slamming his hands together in the appropriate position, Naruto let out a loud yell as he began to use the chakra he had been gathering.

"Tajuu Kage Buushin no Jutsu (_Multiple Shadow Clone Technique_)!"

In a matter of seconds, the desert around Ketsueki was covered in a sea of blonde ninja, all with a serious demeanor about them. The doppelgangers closest to the wolf mercenary kept a couple meters distance between them and their enemy, creating a large empty circle around him. Ketsueki took note of all his surroundings and a twinge of fear overcame him for a second, before it just as suddenly changed into maniacal laughter.

"Ha, you think you can beat me by just creating an army…"

From the ground somewhere in the field of clones, Ketsueki's pet wolf leapt to great heights with claws extended, taking out a few clones with it as it landed from its large jump on top of its master's back. Without missing a beat, the two then performed a Juujin Buushin (_Beast-Man Clone_) and assumed a proper stance in which to execute…

"…well then, BRING IT ON! GATSUUGA (_Dual Piercing Fang_)!!!"

In the same instant, both forms of Ketsueki and his wolf began ripping through the waves of Naruto copies, spinning violently all the while. An ocean of white clouds appeared as hundreds clones were torn apart with each passing moment by the ferocious onslaught.

"_He moves so fast. This has to be at least double Kiba's speed_." The real Naruto reasoned inwardly as he searched for an opening to go on the offensive. "_Alright then, let's kick this up a notch_."

Naruto began to move through the crowd of buushin, subtly shifting in between them in order to reach the edge of the army. There he separated himself from his clones and surveyed his surroundings, searching for his wolf themed enemy.

"_Trying to run away? I knew where you were the entire time. The clones don't give off smell. You're the only one with any trace of a scent, boy_." Ketsueki smirked inwardly as he spotted his blonde enemy on the very outside of the army of clones. Making another hand seal, the both him and his dog performed another Gatsuuga, spinning and thrashing wildly towards him while taking out a number of Kage Buushin on the way.

"_Alright, let's do this_."

Just as both tornado like adversaries neared him from either side, the blonde reached into his back pouch and grabbed a smoke bomb. With one toss at his feet, the smoke bomb detonated, creating what it was designed for, a large cloud of ashen, dense smoke.

"_What is he thinking_?"

As the smoke cleared a small amount, Ketsueki found a number of clones forming a wall by standing on top of each other's shoulders and in turn blocking his path. Behind those clones was another wall of clones, formed in the same manner as the first wall.

"Kage Buushin **Kakuheki (****_Shadow Clone Barrier Wall_****)!" The clones simultaneously yelled out.**

**Increasing his rotating momentum to an even greater speed, Ketsueki slammed straight into the wall, easily plowing through the barricade and creating a large cloud of white where the clones once were as he and his wolf -which had mimicked the action- landed behind the wall and skidded across the sand to a halt.**

Turning around, he spotted the familiar blonde Jinchuuriki a little ways away and him and his transformed hound prepared to launch another Gatsuuga at the Kyuubi jailor.

Just then, and from all around him, a number of shuriken emerged from the ground, all forming lobbing motions over him and his dog. But what was special about these shuriken was what was attached to them.

"Shit! Wires."

The thin, metallic wires then wrapped over the mercenary and his canine companion pinning them to the ground. As soon as they were securely fastened, a dozen or so Naruto's surfaced from the ground as well, all controlling one or more of the metallic wires holding down Ketsueki.

What was left of the clones from the previously created "army" of Naruto's then began to circle around the small trap Naruto had created, forming a circle like they had beforehand.

"Looks like you've lost, Goatee-san. That smoke bomb was so I could set this up under cover. The wall just a diversion." One of the Naruto clones began as the other clones started to make their trek towards the mercenary to finish him off. "Even all of those clones before were just to see what you could do. But the moment I found out that your skill set was primarily the same as the Inuzuka's, I knew what I had to do."

"_Damn it, I was too careless_!" Ketsueki cursed, mainly at himself for getting caught so easily. His wolf turned its gaze to its master, only to find him in a self loathing state.

"I've battled an Inuzuka before, at the chuunin exam third round preliminaries to be exact. I know what their capable of. To be accurate, you were defeated the moment you revealed that you used Inuzuka techniques. In other words, the moment you used Gatsuuga." Another of Naruto's clones called out as the clones surrounded him on all sides.

"_Damn this kid…no, damn this demon to hell. Damn every single Jinchuuriki_…_Damn them all to hell!_" He cursed inwardly yet again. Flashes of a redheaded boy wrapping sand around and crushing the body of a woman started to flood his mind. His wolf, sensing his pain, began to narrow its eyes at Naruto as it let out a low snarl, chakra beginning to build up inside its body.

"What the…Tsume. What are you doing?"

In an instant, the wires restraining Ketsueki's partner wolf seemed to cut off as its fur began to bristle into small needles. It stood to all four of its paws and let out a deafening howl as Ketsueki grinned ear to ear.

"Hari Kegawa Denmaku (_Needle Fur Barrage_)? No, Tsume! Don't do it!"

The sharp bristles of fur then launched from the wolf, shooting out in all directions like an automated gun. The result was the already few Naruto clones, which by then had dwindled down to less than fifty, being decimated by the piercing projectiles. Another sea of white formed all around as the clones popped out of their already diminutive existence.

"_Crap, I can't dodge and I'm completely out of Hiraishin kunai_." The real Naruto cursed inwardly as the needles began to decimate the ranks of clones and got closer and closer to him. Soon the rest of the clones were completely destroyed and an almost mushroom cloud like pillar of ivory smoke lay in their wake.

As the attack finished, the wolf, which by now had lost almost all of its fur, buckled under its own weight and fell to the ground lifeless. Ketsueki's demeanor changed to one of remorse for a split second.

"_Hari Kegawa Denmaku. The user injects their chakra into every single hair of their body, hardening and sharpening them to fatal proportions; they then fire them out in massive waves an unavoidable speed. Though the chakra needed to inject every hair is too great for most to handle, and they die of chakra exhaustion_." The mercenary thought as he stood to his feet, although staggeringly. Some of the needles had accidentally hit parts of his body, badly injuring him.

"_Thank you, Tsume. Thanks to your sacrifice, that's one less Jinchuuriki in the world. You will be missed_." Ketsueki made a small praying gesture in reverence to his deceased partner, before making his way over to the direction the supposedly dead Naruto lay.

He could faintly make out the outline of a strange circular object where the boy should be, according to his calculations, though as to what that object was unnerved him.

"No, could the boy have…"

**(With Akane)**

"I can't help…but feel that this could…have been avoided." Saburo remarked to his red haired opponent as he breathed heavily, mostly due to physical fatigue and chakra exhaustion.

The two had been fighting for some time now, and after making the large amount of clones for Sakura, Akane couldn't help feeling exhausted at the moment. She was already at a disadvantage from having to make so many Kage Buushin in the first place.

"Kage Buushin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" The girl called out once again, creating four more clones, but soon after dropping to one knee as she struggled for air. A couple of Saburo's senbon needles had pierced vital points in her body. Normally, that wouldn't have been as bad as it was right now.

Until she noticed they were laced with poison.

Said poison was spreading through her body at an alarming rate and it was beginning to show physical effects. She didn't know how much longer she had.

"I'm sorry, Akane-san; but this is where I end this contest of ours." Saburo told her as he reached into a pocket on his person, pulling out a summoning scroll in the same movement. Unrolling it without hesitation, he slammed his hand onto the seal placed inside, activating it. Out of the following smoke came a black umbrella.

With one movement, he opened the umbrella and tossed it upwards, where it stayed in place in the air, spinning rapidly.

"Jouro Senbon (_Raining Needles_)!"

A literal rainstorm of needles poured out of every spot on the umbrella, filling the sky with the small metallic senbon. Akane and her clones looked up to the sky in horror.

"_Every single needle is laced with poisonous substance. Even if you do survive the piercings, you'll die from the toxin. There's no escaping my technique, Akane-san_."

The needles then all focused on the red headed Konoha kunoichi and her doppelgangers, before plummeting to the earth in their direction. Akane stayed on one knee, a confident smirk crossing her face while she closed her eyes as the needles grew closer.

"_I'm sorry…Naruto-kun_."

Out of nowhere, a large, hulking mass appeared over Akane, causing her to lay chest first on the ground in order to not be crushed by the sheer weight of the object. Still confused as to where the object came from, the girl rolled out from under the entity, which was made of wood, she noted. Upon further inspection from the side of the object, she noted that it was covered in the poison laced needles that were meant for her.

"_This thing protected me_? _But what exactly_…"

And then the object registered in her head.

"_Is that a wooden salamander_?"

"Hey, little lady. Looks like you could use some help." A somewhat mature male voice remarked a little ways away from the wooden salamander. The girl turned a surprised eye to see a boy dressed in all black, though much of his face was hidden under purple face paint. She made a mental note to ask him why he wore face paint after all this was said and done.

"W-Who are you s-supposed to be?" Saburo asked the man nervously, fearful of the person who stopped his most powerful attack so effortlessly. The man turned to Saburo with a confident smirk.

"Kankuro,"

**(With Naruto and Ketsueki)**

"_No way! There's absolutely no way that boy could have survived that attack. There's so much chakra in the hairs of Hari Kegawa Denmaku that they are able to pierce even the densest of steel_." Ketsueki thought fearfully as the smoke began to clear, revealing the large round object hidden amongst said smoke.

What appeared after the smoke cleared is what confused Ketsueki the most. A large sculpture made of sand was left in the spot the real Naruto was supposed to be. A canonical hat lay on its rather pudgy head, which resembled some sort of raccoon. On the sculpture were various red markings and its arms were outstretched, like it was some sort of defense. If Ketsueki didn't know any better, he would have to say it resembled…

"_Shukaku…No, it can't be…_"

As Naruto looked up, he noticed the rather odd looking sand sculpture placed directly in front of him, shielding him from the barrage of fur needles just a second ago. Confused as to what was going on, he turned to his right to find a redheaded boy in a pitch black, zip up robe, though his most notable feature had to have been the gourd on his back. Standing next to him was a brown haired adolescent girl, dressed in a modified version of the Sunagakure shinobi uniform.

Said redhead curtly let out a few emotionless words.

"It's been a while, Naruto Uzumaki."

And then it clicked.

"Gaara?"

**(Elsewhere)**

"Takahata-taichou, Takahata-taichou! Are you there?" A deep, but excited voice called out of a short range radio earpiece.

"Yeah, what is it?" A man dressed in standard ANBU attire asked in a kind, but rugged tone. His short, ivory white hair flowing as a slight breeze blew past him while his emerald green eyes shone bright in the sun, although hidden behind a pair of glasses. His face was slightly rugged with a small goatee.

"Hikari-taichou has given the signal. I repeat, Hikari-taichou has given the signal. You are now to proceed as planned. Over and out." The eager voice said with enthusiasm, before ceasing.

The man, now known as Takahata, stretched loudly as he yawned, before standing up from his reclining position on a rock.

"Oi, Takahata-taichou, was that Tsubara?" An ANBU clad female asked him, though sporting a mask unlike Takahata.

"Yep…Guess it's about time we get going." He said walking lazily across the sand with his hands in his pockets. "Oh, and tell the troops to come on."

"Yes, Takahata-taichou." She replied, disappearing with a body flicker.

**The mysterious ANBU clad shinobi begin to make their move in the Country of Wind. What is their objective?**

**Next Chapter: False Pretense**

**(End Chapter Twelve)**

Personally, this chapter isn't up to my personal standards, but it's the best I could come up with on such short notice. Either way, I hope you guys like it.

Again I didn't mean to disappear for around three months; I just had some serious relationship problems with my girlfriend. I'm not going to go into them, because Authors notes aren't a place to whine about life.

About the bold text at the end, I've been reading the Naruto manga lately (since the anime is so chock full of filler bits that it crawls at a snail's pace), and I've noticed the little preview text at the end of each chapter. I kind of like them so I decided to give a hand at it. I'll be doing that with each chapter from now on.

Another thing (I know it's long but bear with me here), I've been considering rewriting chapters one through three, and maybe editing some of the fight scenes of some other chapters, seeing as how I've gotten into the groove of writing more and they could use a little revision. Tell me what you think about it.

Anyway, hopefully I'll get thirteen out soon and again, if you don't understand something, I'll be happy to explain it (as long as it doesn't give anything away that I want to keep secret for later), now that I've figured out you can reply to reviews.

Other than that, that's about it.


	13. The Power of Human Sacrifice

Thanks to VyseN for the idea of doing a small recap before each chapter begins. I think it will better help the reader remember what happened in the last chapter, just in case I go on another accidental hiatus like I did this time.

Anyway, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ _thoughts and technique translations_

"**Blah" Kyuubi/Inner Persona talking; Recap/Next chapter preview lines**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

"It's been a while, Naruto Uzumaki." Said a redheaded boy in a pitch black, zip up robe, though his most notable feature had to have been the gourd on his back. Standing next to him was a brown haired adolescent girl, dressed in a modified version of the Sunagakure shinobi uniform.

Naruto stared at the boy for a few seconds in wonder, until the boy's name came to his mind.

"Wait, are you…"

"And just who the hell are you?" Ketsueki asked in an agitated tone. The redhead's unmoving, emotionless eyes locked with his own, which caused the man to flinch ever so slightly.

"Sabaku no Gaara!"

**At the brink of death, the Kazekage intervenes. Again, the two Jinchuuriki meet**.

**Chapter Thirteen: The Power of Human Sacrifice**

**(Outskirts of Konohagakure)**

A rather tan, sinewy man, wearing standard ANBU attire under a long black cloak, trudged weightily through the thick mud as he made his way forward into the unknown. A thick, morning fog permeated the air around him due to the last couple of days of heavy showers, hindering his ability to see even a couple feet in front of him.

Of course, that didn't deter him in the slightest from his primary objective, which required entering Konoha in complete and total secrecy. Such a task would be simple enough.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A Konoha chuunin guard commanded from the man as he approached a small gate on the outskirts of Konoha.

Okay, maybe not as simple as he would have liked it to be.

The cloak sporting ANBU continued in his trek, passing the guard without a word. He wasn't exactly in the mood for a skirmish as meaningless as this one would most likely be.

"I said who goes there. State your name and purpose or I will be forced to…" The guard said drawing a kunai from his holster in a gesture to stop the intruder.

Though it didn't have much of an effect.

The cloaked figure stopped in his tracks, before slowly opening his mouth and taking in an unusually large breath.

"_Hakuen Youshiki: Eimin (White Smoke Style: Eternal Slumber)_,"

In seconds, a flood of smoke began to rush from the man's mouth as the chuunin guard rushed towards him, enveloping the ground in a sea of ivory smoke. Before he knew what was happening, the smoke enveloped the Konoha nin, slithering up his leg like a serpent before completely engulfing him. As the need for oxygen overtook him, he breathed in some of the smoke…ultimately sealing his fate.

His body instantly became limp and he fell to the ground like a ragdoll, his corpse completely devoid of any sign of life. The cloaked man, after seeing his opponent embrace death, continued onward through the gate, muttering a few parting words to the deceased shinobi.

"At least you didn't beg for mercy."

**(With Kankuro and Akane)**

"W-Who are you s-supposed to be?" Saburo asked the man nervously; fearful of the person who stopped his most powerful attack so effortlessly. The man turned to Saburo with a confident smirk.

"The name's Kankuro," The puppeteer nin answered cockily as he banished his giant salamander puppet back to its summoning scroll with a snap of his fingers, a large plethora of white smoke following with it.

"Well, thanks for the help and all, but I've got this under control…" Akane said respectfully as she began to run forward, only to trip and stumble onto the sand face first from her wounds, not to mention the large amount of alcohol she had taken in previously.

"Do you really think you can take him in that state? Just sit back and let me handle this." The jounin remarked with a boastful smirk as he eyed his umbrella wielding opponent with confidence. Reaching into his back pouch, he retrieved a smoke bomb and set it off at his feet, thoroughly confusing Saburo.

"_If that wooden salamander from before was any indication, this guy must be one of Sunagakure's famous puppeteer shinobi. I better keep my eyes open_." Saburo thought warily.

"Ride the wind, Karasu!" He called out coolly as another of his puppets, the more familiar Karasu, popped into existence as the ever famous white smoke began to dissapate around them.

Karasu's right arm cocked open, revealing a barrel shaped tube. Moving one of his fingers, Kankuro ordered his puppet to attack, which it did by shooting out a small bomb of poison gas at Jiro. The mercenary leapt backwards to avoid it, the poison orb missing him by a hair's breadth.

"Gotcha!"

Just as Saburo skidded to a halt after avoiding the gas bomb, another figure exploded from the sand behind him.

"_Another puppet? When did he_…"

The massive chest of Kuroari opened wide and released dozens of thin wires which all wrapped around Saburo and pulled the mercenary shinobi in and with a loud click; he was securely in the abdomen of the puppet.

"Now Karasu, sharpen your feathers and pierce. Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu (_Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot_)!" Kankuro's first puppet then separated into eight pieces, each with its own razor sharp blade. The blades plunged into their appropriate holes on Kuroari, a bloodcurdling scream following suit from the inside of the puppets belly. Kankuro stood there before Akane in his most badass pose.

"Curtain call!"

**(Konohagakure, Yamanaka Flower Shop)**

"_I am never having children_." Ino thought as she let out a depressed sigh, leaning over the counter of her flower shop. She would have yelled it for the entire world to hear, had there not been customers…with children, she noted…delicately browsing around her establishment.

Then again, her voice was too hoarse to say much anyway, which just happened to be the reason for her rather peculiar thought.

It all began with the sudden drought in assignments for Team Asuma; including herself, Chouji, Shikamaru, and their namesake Asuma. It really had no explanation at all. At first, they began taking a mission once every couple days. Those days then turned into once a week.

And that week then turned into a month and a half.

Of course, wouldn't you know she had been placed on possibly the one team that wouldn't mind a drought in missions…at all. Shikamaru had absolutely no problem with this; in fact, it was the first time she had seen him so elated in a long time. She had expected as much.

"_Lazy bastard_!"

While Chouji hadn't been as…excited as Shikamaru, if you could even call it that; he definitely didn't have a problem with it. 'Fewer missions equal more time to eat' is pretty much an unwritten law in the Akimichi clan. Of course, most of their family techniques are attributed to high fat content and the like. That coupled with amount of training Chouji had been doing lately, most likely due in part to the failed Sasuke retrieval mission, made up for it.

Then last of all was Asuma, surprisingly the most ecstatic out of all of them, though that wouldn't be saying much when you have Shikamaru as a teammate. She had noticed that he and Kurenai had been a little close lately.

A little too close to just be friends or comrades.

Ino had made many a gag about the two in a relationship, but didn't actually see it coming. Though she was happy for the two of them, if they so decided to make it public, she couldn't help but notice something in-between all their 'flirting', as the blonde so liked to call it.

"_I wish I had someone_."

It seemed no matter what she thought of, her thoughts always looped back to this initial problem. Sure there were plenty of guys in Konoha. Sure she had gone out on many dates. But there was one problem.

They didn't make her feel how she wanted to feel.

None of the guys she's been involved with made her feel special, none of the guys made her feel loved unconditionally, none of them made her feel genuinely happy the way…the way…

"The way Naruto did."

"What was that dear?" An aged woman asked the blonde as she approached the counter, a bouquet of yellow roses in her hands. A small, brown haired boy stood next to her, clinging to her kimono.

"Oh…I…um…that'll be five hundred ryou." Ino stuttered hastily as she rushed to open the cash register, just realizing that she had spoken her last statement out loud. Ino sent a fake smile to the boy next to her, only to have it reciprocated with an outstretched tongue. After the woman had paid, she turned and exited the premises, the soft click of the door being closed resounding through the now empty shop.

"Yep…never having children." Ino spoke again with another sigh, choosing rather to proclaim it than simply think it. In all her previous rambling, she had almost forgotten the reason for her rant in the first place.

"_Iruka_…"

There weren't many nin willing to be academy teachers, and the few that were willing were usually swamped with missions…unlike her, she noted. The brown haired academy teacher had approached her previously, looking for someone to help him with a few classes. Originally, she would have turned him down, but after learning that the man was already working double shifts as it was, she couldn't help but feel a responsibility to assist her former teacher.

Of course, the moment she walked into the room on her first day as a new substitute teacher, she realized something of the utmost importance.

Super powered ninja children are far more aggressive than civilian children.

With time, though, the students eventually warmed up to her…most notably the perverted male students. As if she didn't get enough male attention from men her age, now she had to deal with men…no, boys trying to cope a feel every chance they got.

It became even worse when a certain white-eyed acquaintance known as Hinata Hyuuga decided to become a part time co-instructor as well. Although she wasn't able to teach as often due to missions, the wannabe ninja made sure to 'make up for lost time'.

In time, that small problem was dealt with…thoroughly, which also earned her and Hinata the respect of many of the future kunoichi of their class.

"Good afternoon…Ino-san." The blonde Yamanaka was brought out of her thoughts by the voice of a certain dark haired girl with pale white eyes as she entered the somewhat cluttered shop timidly.

"Oh, Hinata. What brings you here?" The girl asked in a mixture of excitement and surprise…but mostly excitement.

"Well…I am on my lunch break at the academy, and I thought that maybe you would like to…" Hinata never did finish her answer as she was wildly dragged out of the door by an over excited Ino.

**(Wind Country)**

"Gaara?" Naruto exclaimed with the utmost surprise as he looked on at the redheaded Kazekage, his pitch black zip up robe flowing behind him thanks to an arid, desert wind passing them by.

The moment Naruto uttered the Shukaku restrainer's name, Ketsueki's demeanor instantly became vicious and rabid as the name resonated through his mind.

"_Gaara…Gaara…Gaara…_"

Pictures of the young sand Jinchuuriki with the most malevolent smile began to flash about his thoughts. Ketsueki clutched his head with both hands in agony, toppling over onto his knees simultaneously. The voice of the younger Gaara began to speak within his mind.

"_I exist only to take life from others_…"

"Shut up," Ketsueki remarked gravely aloud as Naruto, Gaara, and Matsuri, who currently stood to the side of her Kazekage, stared at him in confusion.

"_That is my purpose. That is what gives me life and as long as there are people to kill in this world…I will never disappear_."

"Shut up!" The mercenary screamed again as he slowly lifted his eyes to the redhead, his rage beginning to overtake his sense of judgment. Again, the voice spoke.

"_NOW…HELP ME FEEL ALIVE_!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, DAMN IT!"

Ketsueki immediately bolted into action, bee lining straight towards the pair of Jinchuuriki and the Suna kunoichi. Acting on instinct, Gaara dispersed the shield of Shukaku that he had created to defend Naruto, forming a massive hill of sand. Once accomplished, and in a fluent motion, he shifted the sand to form a wall directly in front of him and his two comrades.

"You think that'll work? I've been preparing for this fight for nine years, demon!" The wolf themed mercenary roared as he continued his mad dash, reaching into his back holster and pulling out a scroll.

After activating, said scroll produced the natural white cloud of smoke to cover him, along with a large calabash gourd, very similar in style to Gaara's own sand gourd.

"_What the hell could he be carrying in that thing_?" Naruto thought as he watched Ketsueki grow ever nearer towards them after slinging the gourd over his back. Gaara merely looked on as he began to draw even more sand to the shield in front of them.

"Didn't I tell you that wouldn't work?" Ketsueki immediately began making a complicated series of hand signs at an abnormally quick rate. The cork covering the hole of the gourd popped off and fell to the ground simultaneously.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (_Water Release:_ _Water Dragon Projectile Technique_)!"

Instantly, a dragon shaped surge of water erupted from the mouth of the gourd and began to twist and turn in the air above Ketsueki, almost as if it were dancing, before rushing straight for Gaara.

"_Oh no…he's going to try and drench the sand with water so Gaara-sama can't control it_." Matsuri remarked inwardly as she looked on in apprehension. The dragon shaped water stream rushed towards the sand shield Gaara had created in a straight line, colliding with it and exploding in a massive burst of liquid.

"Gotcha, Ichibi." Ketsueki smirked as the sand shield began to crumble from the water drenching it. After closing his own gourd with a spare cork, he placed himself on all fours once again, preparing for the ever famous spinning move of the Inuzuka.

"_But…although that strategy might have worked on Gaara somewhere else…_" Matsuri continued, her worried expression changing to a safe and secure smile.

Just as he was about to perform Tsuuga (_Piercing Fang_), Ketsueki was instantly stopped from moving before he even budged. He jerked his head downward to his feet, only to see them wrapped in sand. Matsuri smiled even brighter.

"…_out here, in the desert,_ _Kazekage-sama is untouchable_."

"No, it will work. Because as long as I have sand, I can do anything; and out here, the sand I can control is limitless…" Gaara responded in serious but relaxed tone. "…While the amount of water in your gourd will soon come to an end."

The blanket of sand wrapped over Ketsueki's feet soon began to gradually climb up his legs, like microscopic insects up the bark of a tree. The mercenary did his best to break free of this would be prison, trying desperately to brush them off with his hands, but with little success.

"_Damn, I'm almost out of water from that last attack. I've got maybe enough to free myself from this trap, but then I'll lose my advantage against him_." Ketsueki thought, calming down a tad to assess the situation at hand. He watched as the sand ever moved up his body, now reaching his waist. "_Then again, I don't have much of a choice_."

Performing another series of hand seals in rapid succession, Ketsueki began to execute another water element technique.

"Suiton: Suijinheki (_Water Release:_ _Water Encampment Wall_)!"

Normally, a stream of water would rush out of Ketsueki's gourd and surround him, forming a wall of liquid that would wash off the ever rising sand. But, for some reason, not even a single drop of water came to his aid.

"_What? Why isn't it…_?" Ketsueki remarked inwardly as he craned his neck quickly to the gourd to locate the source of the problem.

A single razor-sharp spike made entirely of sand protruded from the sand behind him and had already punctured his gourd, spilling out all of the water. Before the mercenary even had time to bring out a surprised face, Gaara had already begun to engulf him completely in sand using one of his most famous moves.

"Sabaku Kyuu (_Desert Coffin_)!"

By now, the sand had almost completely covered him, leaving his face the only part of his body not subdued by the sand. He still managed to barely breathe, still just clinging onto life…though Gaara would soon fix that.

"This is the end for you…Sabaku Sōsō (_Desert Funeral_)!"

The sand compacted in one giant motion, the fluids of Ketsueki's body literally gushing forth from any open area in the sand which they could find. Both Naruto and Matsuri winced slightly, but then schooled their faces back to their regular demeanor.

As Gaara began to loosen the sand around the once living Ketsueki, he noticed something very strange about the fluids that came from him, more specifically their color. The only fluid from his body should be blood, which is red. But this, fluid was a bluish clear, most similar to…water?

Gaara's eyes snapped open in realization.

"_Mizu Buushin _(_Water Clone_)?"

"Didn't I tell ya? I've been preparing for this battle for four years." An eerie voice similar to the man Gaara supposedly killed whispered from behind. Naruto and Matsuri turned rapidly only to find a kunai brandishing Ketsueki directly behind Gaara, poised to attack the Kazekage.

"Now, time to avenge Eiko and Kameyo."

**(Ichiraku Ramen)**

"_What the hell was that boy thinking_?" Iruka pondered exasperatedly, stealing a glance over at the small blonde girl sitting next to him who was happily slurping down ramen bowl after ramen bowl.

He had been tasked with watching over the adopted Uzumaki while the original Uzumaki, Naruto, was out on a mission to Sunagakure. At first, the task had been relatively simple…

…for the first few minutes.

Apparently, Kioko was the youthful equivalent of Rock Lee, Maito Gai, Kiba Inuzuka, and then Maito Gai…again…all of whom had taken a massive dose of soldier pills, he might add.

And having known all of those people personally, Iruka could tell he wouldn't be getting any sleep while Naruto was away. It was times like this that he wished he had the stamina Naruto seemed to have, even without the help of Kyuubi.

"Yo, Ayame nee-chan, give me another one!" The blonde girl, known to many as Kioko, ordered blatantly, rudely placing yet another empty bowl of noodles onto a rather large heap of bowl.

Kyu, who rested on the shoulder of said blonde girl, could only inwardly sigh, as not to draw attention to himself.

"_What! Another one_!?" Ayame breathed out a heavy sigh before placing another bowl in front of the girl. Most people would consider nineteen full bowls of ramen a tad much for a seven year old girl, especially one so small.

Then again, most people didn't know Kioko.

"Thanks, Ayame-neechan. Now I know why Naruto-niichan loves to come here all the time." The blonde girl stated enthusiastically as she began to dig into her new, steaming bowl. The ramen mistress slumped over the counter, completely exhausted and hands pruned. Today just had to be her father's day off. In a gesture of kindness, Kyu leapt off of the Kioko's shoulder and onto the slumped over Ayame, rubbing his fur against her face.

"Yeah, I've been getting better. My father says that it's almost as good as his." She replied, hoisting Kyu up into the air and snuggling him, inadvertently pressing him in-between her two mounds…or as the fox liked to call them, the 'Valley of the Gods'.

While being sandwiched between her breasts, Kyu couldn't help but smirk; and with Iruka mimicking his action in realization, both came to the same conclusion.

"_Kioko never did say that he loved to come here for the food_…"

"Oi, Iruka-sensei!" An all too familiar voice to the brown haired academy instructor called out. The chuunin turned to the vicinity in where the voice came from, to see two of his former students approaching him.

"Oi, Ino, Hinata! What brings you two here?" He questioned as they both took a seat, Hinata daintily placing herself onto the stool while Ino simply plopped onto it in exhaustion. Iruka suppressed a chuckle at noticing how different their personalities seemed to be.

"Oh, you know. We were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop for a lunch break." Ino answered vaguely, while deciding on her meal.

"Ayame-neechan, can I have another bowl, this one with lots of pork." Kioko demanded while licking some of the leftover juice from her lips. Ino and Hinata stared at the large column of bowls stacked next to her, both sweat dropping at the sheer size of it.

"Sorry, Kioko, but I don't have any more money." Iruka intervened, shooting her a look of apology.

"Hinata-hime!" Kioko said rather ecstatically, looking up to the Hyuuga heiress next to her with bright, blue eyes. "Could you buy me some more ramen?"

Hinata responded with a cheerful nod, gracefully handing the appropriate amount to Ayame. Kioko squealed in delight as her new steaming bowl was placed in front of her.

"Thank you, Hinata-hime," The blonde girl chimed, shifting the bowl over in front of the pale eyed girl and hopping off of her seat, only to plop herself directly on top of the Hyuuga's lap before beginning on her newly bought bowl.

"So, are you two ready for the Konoha Festival? I've heard that it's going to be spectacular this year." Iruka said, forming some light conversation.

"Really, do you know what the committee is planning for this year? I remember the end of last year's festival was awesome. I don't know how they could possibly top it this year." Ino remarked in a surprised tone.

"I remember that!" Ayame, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, added as she leaned over the side of the counter in a resting position. "Creating a giant sakura tree out of seemingly nowhere and then spreading its leaves all over the village like a snowstorm. It was so beautiful."

"If I remember correctly, Kurenai-sensei said something about it on one of our team meetings, but I can't seem to recall exactly what." Hinata recalled.

"I've spoken with her recently as well. She's actually heading the committee and they've got something big planned this year…really big." The academy instructor replied with a smirk.

"Spill it, Iruka-sensei. If you know something, tell us." Ino demanded, grabbing the chuunin by the collar in frustration and causing everyone at the bar to sweat drop.

"Let's just say that it's going to be a blast from the past." The brown haired man replied cryptically with a smirk, obviously teasing the blonde. Ino was virtually the gossip queen of Konoha. If he knew something she didn't know, he could use it to his advantage.

"You better tell me, Iruka, or I'll have to persuade you with other…methods." Ino once again ordered, her agitation changing into a sinister smirk that managed to send a chill through everyone else present, but Iruka managed to maintain his composure.

"Now now, Ino. There'll be no need for any of your…methods." Iruka smugly began. "If you really want to know so bad, how about we have a little friendly competition?"

"Oh, and just what might this so called 'competition' be?" The blonde curiously asked.

"Just one little game of Roshambo, but what say we up the stakes a little bit." The academy instructor answered with a wide grin. After receiving a nod of confirmation, the chuunin continued. "If you win, then I'll tell you everything you want to know…but if you lose, you have to take over my class for the rest of the week."

Ino pondered the chuunin's offer for a few seconds, though it was just for show. I game of roshambo was practically child's play against a clan who specialized in the workings of the human mind. She would soon have the information she wanted.

"Alright; you have yourself a deal, Iruka-sensei." Ino agreed as they began to set up for the competition; Hinata, Ayame, and Kioko watching persistently from afar.

"_As if I would actually agree to something like this without having a surefire way to win. What do you take me for, Iruka-sensei_?" The blonde thought with an inward smirk. "Wait, Iruka-sensei, you have something on the back of your neck." She remarked, leaning over and brushing it off with her hand. The touch sent an electrical feeling down Iruka's spine, though it wasn't figuratively. It actually felt like electricity, but the chuunin brushed it off as some form of static.

"_Perfect, he didn't even notice. It's in the bag now_." She silently cheered in her head, before returning to the proper position of play for the game. "_The brain is run on a series of electrical impulses. Each impulse carries a certain message or action for the body to do or the mind to think. Yamanaka's are trained in dealing with every aspect of the mind, even to be able to decipher these messages_."

"_Of course, the best opening to read these messages would be somewhere on the spinal cord, or in other words the back of the neck_. _But really; Rock…Iruka-sensei? You should have chosen something more elegant, like paper_." She finished as the two were near finishing the countdown of their game.

"Ro…Sham…Bo!"

Ino was completely and utterly speechless.

"_How the hell did he get scissors_?"

"I bet you're probably wondering right now about how you could have lost, aren't you, _mind reader_?" The academy instructor taunted with a smug smirk plastered across his face.

Ino was, once again, completely and utterly speechless.

"You really are becoming rather predictable, Ino-san. I knew you'd try something like reading my mind, which was why I chose this game in the first place; a game that required you to know what I was going to choose."

"But..but…how did you know when to…" She asked, completely flabbergasted.

"I didn't. I was repeating the exact same chain of thoughts from the moment I asked you to play. If you would have tuned in long enough to hear the rest of my thoughts, you would have known that." He finished.

"Nice one, Iruka-sensei! Now Ino-chan gets to teach our class." Kioko yelled out from Hinata's lap as she giggled at the blonde's unfortunate situation.

"Yep, you're right Kioko; and it looks like class is about to start in about five minutes. Have fun teaching the future of our great village, Ino-_sensei_." Iruka added.

"_Damn you, Iruka-sensei. Your head will be mine soon enough_." The blonde Yamanaka cackled inwardly.

"Um…Ino-san, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would be more than happy to help you as long as I can." Hinata said with her usual timid demeanor.

"That's a great idea, Hinata. With you by my side, we'll have that unruly batch of bast…I mean innocent children obeying in no time." Ino said gleefully, images of the academy students succumbing to multiple Jyuuken strikes and her many mind altering techniques flashing across her mind.

"Well, you might want to get going. You've got about three minutes left." Ayame reminded her from the back of the stand as she was cleaning off the rest of Kioko's used bowls.

"Crap, we're going to be late. Come on, Kioko." Ino remarked as she dragged the timid Hyuuga and the hyperactive blonde girl along the dusty street towards the academy. Once the three were out of earshot, the Iruka let out a relieved sigh as he stood to his feet.

"I suppose I should get going myself. I better see if Tsunade-sama has anything for me to do now that I'm off academy duty for a while." He said with a lighthearted chuckle.

"Well, since you've been such a good customer lately, how about your next bowl is free of charge." Ayame stated with her own rendition of a nice guy pose. Iruka had to crack a smile at that, coupled with another chuckle.

"Wait, what's so funny?" The brown haired ramen mistress asked curiously.

"I was just thinking about what Kioko said earlier." The academy instructor answered somewhat vaguely.

"Oh, you mean how Naruto-kun loves coming here because I always give him free ramen?" Ayame asked in a half teasing, half sarcastic tone while stifling out a giggle. Iruka smiled endearingly at her before beginning to walk away. But just as he was out of earshot, he said something that would probably unsettle her thoughts for the rest of the day.

"Now who said he ever came here for the ramen?"

And with that, the chuunin was gone, leaving nothing but a small gust of wind and leaves with a bewildered and blushing Ayame in his wake.

**(With Naruto, Matsuri, and Gaara)**

"Now, time to avenge Eiko and Kameyo."

Just as Ketsueki was about to strike a final blow on the redheaded Kazekage, a powerful gust of air tore past the two of them, knocking Ketsueki back several dozen feet. Gaara managed to create a shield of sand just in time to protect himself, Naruto, and Matsuri from the ripping winds.

"Nobody touches my little brother." Temari said in a serious tone as a cloud of airborne sand dissolved from in front of her, also revealing both Sakura and Anko behind her.

"Told you I'd be back for you, Naru-chan!" Anko said body flickering over to the blonde and grasping him in a gigantic embrace.

"Uh, Anko-sensei. Do you really think this is the time to…?" Naruto questioned while blushing heavily at the close contact, until something caught his attention.

Two kunai whizzed through the air at Anko and Naruto from the direction Ketsueki had been blown back into, intent on eliminating the both of them. Gaara, reacting quickly and with little effort, caught the projectiles with a small wall of sand.

"Found you, Kuchiyose no Jutsu (_Summoning Technique_)!"

The moment Anko performed the technique, a large and blue anaconda sized snake appeared, slithering up the body of Ketsueki and coiling around him. Baring its fangs, the snake bit into his neck and inject a clear type fluid into him from its incisors. The mercenary fell to the ground as his body completely froze up.

"It's over now, you lose." She said gravely, helping Naruto to his feet and slinging his arm over her shoulder to help him stand.

"DAMN YOU. I'M GONNA SEND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU JINCHUURIKI TO HELL, EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!" Ketsueki roared as he struggled in vain to stand to his feet, only managing to twitch. Both Gaara and Naruto lowered their heads solemnly while Temari and Anko looked on at them in sadness respectively.

"Why do you hate us so much? What have we ever done to deserve this?" Naruto asked in such a depressed and silent tone that it sent shivers down everyone's spine. Sakura, Temari, and Matsuri stared at Naruto with much confusion at his question, while Anko began to squeeze him tighter as she supported his weight.

"It's because of you that I lost everything that ever mattered to me! Every damn thing!" He yelled again in a tone laced full of malice and spite.

"I was born of the Inuzuka clan of Konoha and was arranged to marry a woman from another of Konoha's prestigious clans from the day I was born. Her name was Eiko. We were raised together, we trained together; we did everything imaginable together in preparation for the day we were to be married…until that day fifteen years ago, when the Kyuubi attacked and nearly destroyed all of Konohagakure."

Naruto clutched his stomach and let out a disheartened sigh, while everyone else continued to listen on.

"I told her not to try and help; I told her that it was wasted effort and that she would only get herself killed. But being the proud kunoichi that she was, she couldn't sit back and watch the village be destroyed…and then the bastard fox killed her in the most gruesome way it could."

"Eventually, by offering up his life, the fourth Hokage managed to defeat the Kyuubi, but the village was almost too decimated to make any sort of recovery. What it needed was an ally during its rebuilding phases for security. That ally was Sunagakure."

He paused, before continuing on.

"However, in return for what protection they could give, Suna required something from Konoha…the secrets of one of their clans, so they could start another branch of the clan in their own village. By a cruel twist of fate, I was chosen for an arranged marriage after just losing my fiancé, to fulfill their request and was sent to Sunagakure to seal the deal and produce an Inuzuka."

"I met my fiancée Kameyo, the most wonderful, generous, kind, thoughtful woman any man could ever have asked for. At first, I hated her with a passion, but no matter what I seemed to do, she never gave up on me. She always worked hard, put up with me constantly, and never even once complained about any of it. I grew to love her more than life itself." He said, cracking a small smile at the memories that flashed across his mind, though that happiness didn't last long.

"And then one day, she was called into the Kazekage office for a mission, an assassination of an enemy to all of Sunagakure. Kameyo never was the murderous type of shinobi, but she always put duty over feelings, and accepted it without hesitation. She died in the line of duty though, crushed to death by a pile of sand…" He said, tears streaming down his face.

"Isn't that right, Sabaku no Gaara?"

**(Flashback no Jutsu)**

_Ketsueki couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. In front of him was the brutally massacred corpse of Kameyo, covered in nothing but blood and crushed bones protruding from her skin to the point that she no longer looked human anymore. Sand was slowly crawling off of her at a snail's pace and back into the gourd of a pre-chuunin exam Gaara._

"_Hmmm…she didn't make me feel alive at all. Perhaps you will fare better." The small redheaded boy cackled sadistically._

"_YOU BASTARD!!" Ketsueki screamed as he charged Gaara with kunai in hand, his faithful companion canine Tsume following close behind._

_Gaara's sand began to take on a different shape, covering the right half of his body. Ketsueki drew ever closer in a reckless charge, throwing away all abandon and fear as he dashed._

_The sand encasing Gaara's right arm then began to morph into a strange claw like appendage while the right side of his face began to take on a deranged look as it began to look less and less human with each passing second. A long tail made out of sand began to emerge out of the gourd and swished around in the air violently._

"_NOW…HELP ME FEEL ALIVE!!"_

_Before Ketsueki could even get off a strike, the extendable Shukaku arm of Gaara had already pinned him against a wall, restricting him from moving even a little. _

_The Inuzuka's fear at the moment was enough to even surprise the half transformed Gaara. He usually didn't give his victims time to even have fear to begin with. Being able to see the look of sheer horror on his face, his fruitless attempts to break free from his grasp, the mental pain Gaara could sense literally oozing from him; he had to admit, it excited him a little._

"_Do you detest me for taking the one that was precious to you?" Gaara whispered to his victim with gleeful sadism as he began to clench the sand arm holding Ketsueki in place._

"_Do you despise me…do you wan't to kill me?" Ketsueki only nodded his head, albeit spastically._

"_I'm going to enjoy draining every last ounce of blood from you…just like I did that woman over there." Gaara snarled ruthlessly, constricting the man even more. "Her blood tasted oh so very good."_

"_Shut up…" Ketsueki whispered silently to himself._

"_First I tore off her arm…and then I crushed her legs…" The possessed redhead continued._

"_Shut up!" The man repeated slightly louder this time._

"_And then I watched as all the blood as well as her life drained ever so slowly from her, but the only thing she was concerned about was the safety over her beloved husband, the man she loved." Gaara spat out. "I couldn't take any more of that trash coming out of her mouth, so I ripped out her vocal chords before I crushed the rest of her body…"_

"_DAMN YOU TO HELL!!"_

_Ketsueki actually managed to force himself out of the sand claw just enough to stab Gaara with a kunai, though his efforts were completely in vain as the Jinchuuriki only constricted the sand around him even more, bringing forth a blood curdling scream._

"_Your hate is not strong enough, your will to kill me is too small; and no matter how much you power you obtain, you will never destroy me…and do you know why?" Gaara paused while grinning, as if waiting for an answer. _

"_Because taking life from other beings is my purpose. That is what gives me life…and as long as there are people to kill in this world…"_

_The sand around Gaara had now completely encased his body and he himself no longer resembled anything even close to human, but that of the Shukaku. He stalked closer to Ketsueki until he reached the man's ear and with one last sinister whisper, he finished._

"_I will never disappear!"_

_From out of seemingly nowhere, an all too familiar Inuzuka technique came barreling towards the Shukaku possessed Gaara, impaling him directly in the abdomen and distracting the Jinchuuriki for a few seconds…though that was all Ketsueki needed._

_With all his might Ketsueki pushed against the constricting sand arm, loosening it just enough to slip out from under it. Gaara grew enraged as he retracted his Shukaku claw and prepared to launch it at him once more. Whistling for his dog to follow him, Ketsueki made a break for the nearest window, but the Shukaku Jinchuuriki had other plans in mind as it fired its arm at him._

_Ketsueki just barely managed to evade it and burst through the glass window, falling to the streets of Sunagakure below with his canine partner in tow. The both landed on their feet somewhat gracefully and dashed into the blackness of the night, not bothering to check if the Shukaku possessed Gaara was still pursuing them._

_Taking to a back alleyway to a hide, the goatee sporting man plopped down on the ground as he clutched his rib cage and any other parts of his body that had been crushed by the sand. Tsume rested beside him and began to lick his wounds, hoping to relieve even some of its master's pain._

_From out of a garbage can next to him, a medium sized raccoon emerged and scurried past Ketsueki as it set its eyes on a small mouse. The bleeding Inuzuka looked on almost lifeless as with one pounce, the raccoon bit into the helpless rodent and killed it with a bite and a few claw swipes._

"_Eiko…Kameyo…I'm sorry that I could save either of you. But while I could not promise protection, I can promise revenge; and until that revenge is fulfilled…until every last demon and Jinchuuriki on the face of the earth is completely wiped out…"_

_Tears began to flow freely from Ketsueki's eyes now, but his demeanor began to let off such a horrifying aura that shook the normally immovable Tsume to its core. Just as the raccoon was about to leave its prey, Ketsueki threw the kunai directly at it, piercing its flesh and pinning it to a wall of a building near it._

"…_I will NEVER disappear!!"_

**(End Flashback)**

"From that day forward, I devoted my entire life to seeking revenge on you, Sabaku no Gaara. Though, I'm no fool. I knew I couldn't defeat you by my power alone, so I appealed to the Kazekage at the time, the Fourth." Ketsueki stated.

"I requested that he lend me a few shinobi to dispose permanently of the 'failed Shukaku experiment'; insisting that if left alone, Gaara would eventually grow out of control and turn on us. As luck would have it, the Fourth had decided a short time beforehand that Gaara would become the ultimate tool for their newest operation…the invasion of Konoha." The dog themed mercenary remarked as the Konoha shinobi began to reminisce on the betrayal of the sand during the chuunin exams.

"I refused; I told him that if he would not destroy him, then I would do the job myself. The fourth warned me to not do something I would regret, but I didn't listen. Days later, after I had fooled the fourth into thinking I had cooled down, I broke into Kazekage building to search for any information that I could use against my inevitable clash with Gaara."

"But the Kazekage had been monitoring my actions the entire time and attempted to arrest me. I then fled with the few followers I had, also nin whose lives had been destroyed by the cursed Shukaku." Ketsueki paused to catch his breath, before continuing.

"From that day on I became a missing nin, working for five long years to raise an army large enough to kill Sabaku no Gaara, and any other Jinchuuriki that happened to cross my path!" He finished menacingly, directing a steely gaze towards Gaara and Naruto.

"You do realize that no matter how large an army you raise, it wouldn't be big enough to defeat Gaara." Temari remarked. "He has the power of one of the five great shinobi nations behind him. Anything you do will be at best, suicide."

Ketsueki's demeanor remained passive, though a smirk appeared on his face. He even seemed to enjoy his next statement.

"I don't care…as long as Gaara dies, I will do whatever it takes."

"YOU DUMBASS!!" Naruto roared, causing everyone's eyes to open in surprise. "What kind of goal is that? Do you really think that revenge will ever make either of your wives' deaths feel justified? Do you think it will ever bring either of them back…because it won't?"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW!? HOW WOULD YOU EVER KNOW THE PAIN OF LOSS; THE PAIN OF LOSING THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO EVER MADE YOU FEEL ACCEPTED, FEEL LOVED!!" Ketsueki screamed back wildly.

Without hesitation, Naruto charged at the man, his normal bright blue eyes flashing into a deep crimson as he drew nearer. He clenched his fist and delivered an deafening blow to the mercenary's face, Ketsueki flying back from the force before skidding to a halt.

Everyone stared at him in surprise from his recent actions, except for Gaara who remained indefinitely passive and Anko who merely bowed her head in sorrow for the blonde Jinchuuriki.

"Look, revenge is and never will be the answer. If you dedicate your life to it, what will you have when that person is dead? Nothing, because even though you finally gotten your revenge, you'll have never enjoyed your life; you'll still be a wanted criminal, hunted for the rest of your days; and it will never bring either of your precious people back." Naruto remarked coolly as the rest of his friends and comrades looked on.

"You're wrong…because I have nothing else to enjoy in this life anymore and if I can't take out him…you're the next best thing."

In an instant, Ketsueki ripped open his shirt to reveal an intricate pattern of explosive tags placed over his torso. Naruto stumbled back a bit in fear at the sheer number of them.

"See ya in hell where you belong…"

With a small hand seal and a dying, confident smirk, the dog themed mercenary activated every tag on his person.

"…demon!"

Ketsueki's explosive tags went off in one of the largest explosions any of the shinobi currently present had ever been witness to. Naruto and the others cringed as the sheer force of the detonation blinded them.

After the explosion as the smoke began to clear, Naruto slowly cracked his eyes open, not entirely sure if he was either dead or alive. He looked up, much to his surprise and joy, that a familiar shield of sand enveloped him, protecting him from all harm. The shield then crumbled, allowing him to check on the rest of his comrades.

His gaze shifted all around the area, only to see sand shields covering the rest of them in the same manner as his had.

"_Nice one…Gaara_."

"Hey, Naruto; you okay?" A familiar female voice asked him as she approached him heavily and held out her hand to help him up to his feet.

"A little bit scratched up, but otherwise I'm fine." The blonde replied with a smirk. "What about you, Sakura-chan?"

"I didn't mean it like that…" The medic nin remarked cryptically while averting her eyes and moving a few stray strands of hair out of her face, causing Naruto to stare back in confusion. Never less, the blonde accepted the outstretched hand and was on his feet in a matter of seconds.

"Naruto…what was Ketsueki talking about? What is a Jinchuuriki?" The kunoichi asked curtly, catching the blonde off guard.

Before the Kyuubi jailor had a chance to react, both he and his emerald eyed teammate begin to rise into the air on medium sized platforms of sand, startling them both. The platforms began to move through the air at a slow, steady rate before settling down directly in front of Gaara after a few moments of traveling.

"Thanks for the help, Gaara." Naruto exclaimed cheerily as he placed a friendly hand on the Kazekage's shoulder in gratitude. The redhead nodded his head slightly for confirmation as he finished retrieving the rest of their teammates in the same manner as he had them, once again reuniting the group.

Though, the blonde was forcibly knocked out of his reverie by a loud scream from none other than a certain voluptuous scarlet haired girl…

"NARUTO-KUN!!"

And that scream was followed by a bone breaking bear hug followed by a multitude of questions…not to mention the blonde's face being pressed in between said redhead girl's assets unintentionally as she did her best to 'nurse' him…though she did her best to ignore her own injuries.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, are you okay? Did that dog bastard hurt you?"

And his short but pleasant time in between the girl's two mounds was abruptly…VERY abruptly silenced by another, more violent and ferocious scream from the other female present…the one with super strength…

"NARUTO!!"

Of course, that scream is always followed by the blonde flying hundreds of feet after an incredibly hard and powerful object connects with his cheek, causing pain so agonizing that even the Kyuubi might even flinch…

…this time was no different.

True to the formula that Naruto had devised concerning whenever he does something wrong in Sakura's eyes (unintentionally, he might add), the blonde was sent rocketing across the sands by the fierce blow of Sakura's punch. Luckily for him, Gaara was able to catch him effortlessly with a wall of sand, bringing the blonde back to his former position with everyone else.

"I think you have some explaining to do, Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura demanded, tapping her foot impatiently against the sand ridden earth.

Naruto sighed.

"Couldn't this wait until..."

"No! I want an answer and I want it now. What is a Jinchuuriki and why did Ketsueki call you one?" Naruto's demeanor changed once again as he bowed his head in sadness. At this point, Anko stepped forward and began to explain from her knowledge.

"I'm sure that most if not all of you have heard the legend of the bijuu, demons of unimaginable power and destruction. The demons themselves are known by the number of tails their body possesses, and each has different characteristics; the one tail Ichibi, the two tail Nibi, and so on with the most powerful being the nine tailed fox, Kyuubi. The shinobi nations coveted that power and sought to make it their own as weapons, to that end capturing the demons and attempting to use that power. This unimaginable power proves difficult to manage however, requiring literal sacrifices to gain control."

"This is where the Jinchuuriki come in. As memory serves, the word "Jinchuuriki" means the "power of human sacrifice" and they are those individuals possessing these same tailed demons within their bodies. Several jutsu variations have been used to seal the bijuu within a human, such as the Shiki Fuuin used by the Fourth Hokage..."

"Wait just a minute, Anko-sensei. Didn't the fourth defeat the Kyuubi?" Sakura asked in a confused tone, as this was the general concensus around Konoha.

"Almost forgot the council fed that rubbish to you guys." Anko stated cockily in return, as everyone listened on. "The truth is, Kyuubi was virtually unbeatable, so instead of killing it, the Fourth sealed it in a small innocent child." She directed her stare towards Naruto.

"Isn't that right...container of the nine tailed demon fox, Naruto Uzumaki?" She said in a more solemn tone.

Not a sound was heard for the space of a miute, not accounting the arid, desert winds.

"Heh, what are you all so silent for. We beat the bad guy didn't we?" Naruto said in his usual cheery voice, albeit a bit more reserved. He turned in the direction of Sunagakure and took a step forward, when he was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around him.

"Naruto." Sakura whispered, as she tightened her grip on his back.

"What are you worrying over me for, Sakura-chan..."

"Is that why they hate you...why that treat you like dirt?" She asked without releasing her grip.

"Why are you so concerned about..."

"BECAUSE!!" The pink haired kunoichi screamed in fury, completely silencing the blonde as the others looked on. "Because that...that thing in the desert back there fighting Ketsueki sounded like it was in so much pain. I could feel so much hatred and suffering practically gushing out of you. And...and...because..." Sakura's eyes began to water. "...For so many years my friend has been suffering for something he couldn't control, and I had no idea about it..."

After a few seconds of silence in her embrace, the blonde turned around to face her, looking directly into her eyes but speaking loud enough for all to hear.

"Over...these past three years, I've had time to think about this whole Jinchuuriki thing. Every time I've thought about it, I've come to one conclusion. Being the container for that nine tailed furball has made me who I am today."

Sakura continued to look up at him in wonder as he continued on.

"I mean, who else could say that they protected the entire village of Konoha from the most evil demon in existence from the day that they were born? And sure, I wasn't always exactly treated like a 'hero', but it gave me something more important. It gave me a dream and a drive to work towards that dream. Everyday I work towards that dream, to become Hokage, to be respected, and for the first time in my life to have friends...oh, and maybe a girlfriend or two." He tacted on playfully.

"And look at me now, Sakura-chan, everyone. I've got a man...well perverted man as strong as the Hokage teaching me. I'm still working on that respect part, and I have friends who I can truly count on, even a little sister..."

He looked around at them all, noting the smiles on their faces. He released the pink haired kunoichi and walked over to Gaara, standing right in front of him.

"...and I also have brothers as well...something that I've always wanted." At this, even the normally stoic Gaara had to crack a smile. The blonde turned back to face Sakura.

"I don't know where you're looking, but from my viewpoint..." He flashed her one of his signature foxy grins.

"...I don't see any suffering people."

A long, cheerful silence presided over the area with smiles and smirks all around and the tears drying of one certain pink haired kunoichi.

"Naru-chan, you are one hell of a guy..." Anko stated as she jumped on his back and whispered into his ear, pressing her mounds into his back and unknowingly but seriously pissing off most females in the area except for Matsuri.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but after so many speeches and flashba...I mean stories about the past, I'm ready to head in for the night." Kankuro stated while simulataneously yawning and stretching his limbs.

"Yeah, same here. It's getting late and we should be heading back anyway." Temari added.

"Alright, but somebody's going to have to carry Akane-san, so I suggest..." Sakura threw in as she turned around to Akane, only to find her already begging Naruto to carry her. "_Well that was quick_..." She thought in an agitated manner.

**(Sunagakure Gates)**

"Oi, Kazekage-sama." A few guards at the gate called out in unison as their kage strolled passed them, with his group right on his tail.

"At ease," Gaara stated in his usual blank tone, the two guards letting out a sigh of relief. "Ah, Kazekage-sama, I have a message for you from Fumika-san." The guard on the left remembered. "She said something about preparing the hotel arrangements for our guests." At this the Konoha nin gave an inward jump for joy, since they would be able to access soft beds for the night.

"Wait, didn't she say something else to?" The other guard quiered.

"...Um...oh yes! It was something about asking if she could take a shower with her tanuki-chan. It was strange; I didn't even know we had raccoons out here." The first guard stated, alerting both Kankuro, Matsuri, and Temari. They really needed to get Gaara a less...provocative secretary, lest she corrupt him as well.

"But hey...I wouldn't mind being that tanuki." The second guard said, adorning a lecherous disposition on his face...which then resulted in a giant knot on his head from a punch from the pink haired pervert exterminator herself.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Are you coming or not?" Naruto asked rather loudly as the group continued to walk, with the medic nin catching up with them in a few seconds. The group continued to walk through the path until they reached the other side of the gate, where an eager Fumika was waiting for them in a unusually tight, purple kimono that showed off her curves.

"My, I'm so glad to see you, tanuki-chan." The brown haired woman said in a sultry tone as she approached the group. "I've already got our guests' rooms prepared."

"I've already been informed. Would you be so kind as to direct them to their hotel? I have many things to do tonight." Gaara asked her.

"Certainly, Tanuki-chan." She responded with a slight bow towards her leader, before walking over to the Konoha group. "If you would...please follow me."

"Oh wait, Kazekage-sama. Our friend was badly injured and i'm sure she was injected with poison due to her skin color, it's a wonder that she could still move." Sakura noted, motioning over to the scarlet haired girl sleeping on Naruto's back.

"Do not worry over that, Pinku-chan. I've already prepared a few medics at the hospital on the chance that one of you was injured." Fumika explained in a calm manner.

"Sakura-chan, you and Naru-chan go to the hotel room and I'll take Akane-chan to the hospital." Anko ordered, taking the sleeping Akane off of Naruto's back. "I already know where it is so no need to go out of your way. Goodnight Naru-chan." The purple haired ninja said with a wink before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, which sent the usual shivers up the Kyuubi container's spine.

After everyone else exchanged their goodbyes and goodnights, the remainder of the leaf group followed Fumika down a dust filled road towards their hotel.

**(Red Sand Hotel)**

In a matter of minutes, the rest of the squad arrived at the hotel exhausted and half asleep.

"Your room is just down the hall. Try not to do anything to Pinku-chan while Anko-san is away, Foxy-chan." Fumika said, patting him on the head before sauntering back down the hall. At this, Sakura of all people turned beet red as the implications of her statement whizzed through her mind.

"Well come on, Sakura-chan." Naruto muttered, rubbing his eyes as well as completely missing the underlying meaning behind the Kazekage secretary's statement. The two entered the room hastily, throwing their bags and belongings into an empty corner. The room itself was moderately sized with two queen sized beds lying next to each other, both sitting on a traditional japanese style floor. There was even a small bathroom complete with shower, as well as a table in another corner.

"Hey, what's that?" Sakura asked, turning her attention to the folded note on the table. She picked it up and opened it, revealing a letter from Fumika.

_Dear, Konoha nin_

_Due to Iwagakure representatives and the large number of servants those pompous windbags bring along with them, this and the room adjacent to you were the only two room openings that we could find. We apologize for the inconvenience, especially because of the fact that there eight of you coming when was told otherwise. Oh, and just forward the bill to Tsunade-sama. _

_P.S. I would apologize for the size and the lack of beds for everyone, but I'm sure that you won't be too...inconvenienced after getting the chance to sleep next to a cutie like the blonde one._

_-Fumika-san_

Sakura was taken aback by the content of her postscript message to instantly notice her incorrect information.

"_Wait, aren't there only four of us_?"

"Oi, Sakura-chan, what does it say?" Naruto questioned innocently as he peered over her shoulder.

"Nothing!!" Sakura instantly tore the paper to shreds and tossed it into the waste basket next to the table. Naruto merely shrugged and began to walk away, lifting his shirt over his head in the process.

"W-What are you doing!?" The emerald eyed medic nin stuttered out as she turned around to see the back of a shirtless blonde.

"Um...taking my shirt off? Can't take a shower with clothes on." Naruto retorted in a joking fashion. "What's the problem? You've seen me plenty of times without a shirt."

"Yeah, but that was when I barely had hormones." Sakura muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, just go take your shower."

Naruto complied, albeit still thoroughly confused with her behavior. As he walked into the bathroom, the kunoichi plopped down onto one of the queen sized beds and stared up to the ceiling, musing over the days events. She thought about the battle and its unfortunate turns, as well as the revelation after...

Which brought her to back to that horrible image of the Kyuubi possessed Naruto, the sheer fear of that image.

"No doubt about it; I will protect him from that." She resolved, clasping her hands over her heart. "I will help you keep your smile."

The medic nin decided to change clothes before finishing his shower, reaching into her bag and retrieving a pair of pink pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She quickly doned them and plopped down on the bed again just as her golden haired companion exited the bathroom, fully dressed for bedtime.

"Okay, I'm done. Hope you don't have a problem with just shorts." Naruto said with a sheepish grin.

"No, it's fine." She replied curtly. "_What girl in their right mind would have one_?"

"Hey, Sakura-chan..." Naruto said rather timidly, something completely different from his usual demeanor. "...did it...scare you?"

The girl sat upright. "Did what scare me?" He avoided her gaze.

"You know what I'm talking about. Did I scare you."

Sakura immediately understood what he was referring to, and sat quietly as she mused over her answer. The blonde took a seat next to her on the bed, though putting some distance between them.

"To be honest, it did..." Naruto frowned inwardly, but keep his face schooled. "The keyword there was it." Naruto turned to her puzzled.

"While I was afraid as any normal being would be while staring down a creature like that, I was more afraid about what would happen if you never changed back to the way you were..." She brought her legs up and embraced them with her arms.

"You don't have to worry about that. There's no way in hell that I'm letting that fox bastard take me over. That's a promise." Naruto said coolly, flashing her an honest, sincere smile; the kind that would make you believe in someone no matter what the odds. Sakura mirrored his smile.

"Oh yeah?" She giggled slightly. "I promise I'll bring Sasuke back!" She said with a thumbs up, mocking the way Naruto had left all those years ago to chase after Sasuke and the Sound Four.

"Well...that's a promise in progress. That doesn't count." Naruto placed his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. They both gave each other another warm smile.

"There's one promise that I never want you to break." Sakura said with a small blush on her face.

"Sure, name it."

"Promise that you'll never lose that smile."

Naruto grinned, giving her the nice guy pose just as she had done.

"It's a promise."

Meanwhile, outside of the door, a lone kunoichi with a giant fan and blonde hair tied up into four ponytails leaned against the Konoha nin's door listening to the entire conversation, though she had a comfortable smile on her face that easily could have matched the two Konoha nin's.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you sure are..."

She began to walk away with an aura of serenity around her, something that she didn't normally have.

"...one of a kind."

**(Sunagakure, The "Siblings" residence)**

"Sister, are you alive over there?" An old man said as he set down his fishing rod and trudged over to his supposed sister's fishing spot. He nudged her a little bit more, causing her to collapse onto the floor.

"Oh dear! What have I..." The elder gentlemen stopped as he heard laughing emerging from the body of his supposedly dead sibling. "Chiyo! Must you always pull such hurtful pranks?"

"Oh, Ebizo. You are just so easy to fool." Chiyo proclaimed as she stood to her feet, holding out her hand to her brother as an apology.

Suddenly, a kunai flew out from the shadows and imbedded itself into Chiyo's arm. The old woman neither moved her arm nor flinched in pain, almost as if the kunai had no effect.

A woman clad in ANBU armor with purple hair and an owl themed mask emerged from the shadows. Her hair was tied into a short ponytail similar to Anko's and she possessed an ornate japanese katana strapped across her back, which she began to gradually draw from its sheath as she step towards the old woman.

Chiyo glared her down threateningly, before a confident smirk appeared on her wrinkly face.

"Well, well. Looks like we have some company."

**While tensions die down after a grueling battle, A mysterious enemy has appeared in front of the elder siblings. What is her purpose?**

**Next Chapter: Trigger**

**(End Chapter 13)**

A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait. Family problems, nuff said. But here it is, I haven't given up on it and I've got alot in store. Hopefully chapter titles won't change again (went online and found "False Pretense" was actually a song title, so had to fix it), and future chapter title previews will hopefully not change.


	14. Trigger

Cuttingmoon57 here, and bringing you another chapter of On the Wings of Destiny. Not much else to say except that I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to it. If I did, I would be rich and I probably wouldn't be wasting my time with school.

"Blah" talking

"_Blah"_ _thoughts and technique translations_

"**Blah" Kyuubi/Inner Persona talking; Recap/Next chapter preview lines**

"BLAH" Yelling

**(Blah)** scene change

"Sister, are you alive over there?" An old man said as he set down his fishing rod and trudged over to his supposed sister's fishing spot. He nudged her a little bit more, causing her to collapse onto the floor.

"Oh dear! What have I..." The elder gentlemen stopped as he heard laughing emerging from the body of his supposedly dead sibling. "Chiyo! Must you always pull such hurtful pranks?"

"Oh, Ebizo. You are just so easy to fool." Chiyo proclaimed as she stood to her feet, holding out her hand to her brother as an apology.

Suddenly, a kunai flew out from the shadows and imbedded itself into Chiyo's arm. The old woman neither moved her arm nor flinched in pain, almost as if the kunai had no effect.

A woman clad in ANBU armor with purple hair and an owl themed mask emerged from the shadows. Her hair was tied into a short ponytail similar to Anko's and she possessed an ornate japanese katana strapped across her back, which she began to gradually draw from its sheath as she step towards the old woman.

Chiyo glared her down threateningly, before a confident smirk appeared on her wrinkly face.

"Well, well. Looks like we have some company."

**While tensions die down after a grueling battle, A mysterious enemy has appeared in front of the elder siblings. What is her purpose?**

**Chapter 14: Trigger**

"You know, child; young ones such as yourself should be careful when playing with knives, you might poke someone's eye out or cut off an arm..." Chiyo stated smugly, yanking the kunai out of her arm as if it was nothing. The old woman cracked her fingers, working out the joints, and still holding onto the kunai in her hand. One prepared, she twirled the kunai around in her hand and assumed her own battle stance.

"...Fortunately, that's not the case for me."

The ANBU clad assassin charged at the female Suna sibling at an almost blinding speed, completely drawing out her katana in the process.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with." Chiyo brought out a few more kunai, that mystically began to float in the air without any type of support. "Sōshūjin (Manipulating Attack Blades)."

The assassin continued with her charge, not diverting her path an inch. "Konoha Ryuu: Mikadzuki no Mai! (Konoha Style: Dance of the Cresent Moon)" Chiyo launched her manipulated kunai at the enemy woman, the knives bee lining straight for her. Activating her technique, the purple haired, masked assassin transformed into three illusions of herself, all diverting into three directions.

"_To be able to use this technique must mean this girl has connections to Konoha_." Chiyo made a mental note as she made a one hundred eighty degree spin, recalling that the user attacked from the users blindside. Just as she predicted, the assassin began to descend on her from the air, swinging her sword in a downward arc as she descended. Chiyo pulled out another kunai from her sleeve and managed to parry the assassin's katana, albeit barely.

"I would have thought that since the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha would have changed the pattern of this technique..." Chiyo remarked cockily, though she felt as if the opponent was smirking under her mask.

Suddenly, the assassin disappeared in puff of white smoke, similar to the...

"_Kage Buushin (Shadow Clone)! I wasn't the target after all_..." She immediately turned to Ebizo, who had also managed to realize that he was the target. The male Suna sibling dashed away as best he could, though his efforts were in vain. The assassin had already plunged a kunai directly above the man's heart, driving it in with force as he let out a shriveled yelp of pain.

"_Shit_!" Without wasting a moment, Chiyo summoned two human like puppets from scrolls hidden in her sleeves, both of whom plunged a sharp whip with imbedded kunai as well as a katana into the assassin's body respectively. The first puppet was male with messy red hair while his female counterpart had long, dark brown locks.

Upon the moment of impact, the enemy who stabbed Ebizo turned into the familiar white smoke just as the other had. A shadowy figure out in the distance of the room escaped through a closed window, breaking the glass as she exited and alerting the siblings of her escape. Chiyo, knowing better to take care of her brother than mindlessly chase down someone at this time of night, ran over to her brother, dispelling her summoned puppets in the process.

She checked him over, noting that the kunai he was stabbed with was covered in poison, one she was unfamiliar with as far as she could tell.

"Hang in there, brother." She whispered while keeping her cool.

"_To have a shadow clone use Dance of the Cresent Moon so flawlessly while simultaneously having another clone strike the real target_. _And even I'm unfamiliar with this particular poison_..." She thought, doing her best to stop the flow of poison.

"_It's too well thought out to just be a random assassination attempt_..._someone ordered this_..._but who_...?"

**(Suna Hospital, Early Morning)**

"_Where am I_..." A certain crimson haired kunoichi thought in a confused manner as her eyelids cracked open and received the morning sun from a nearby window. Scanning her unfamiliar surroundings calmly, she surmised that she was placed in the hospital, if the white walls, newly sterilized equipment, and moans of pain from the next room over where any indignation.

"Oh, looks like you're finally awake." A brown haired nurse remarked happily as she entered the room, carrying in a few fresh sheets and setting them down onto a nearby table.

"What's going on?" Akane asked meekly, her voice rather hoarse at the moment. An obvious frown appeared on the nurse's face. She always did hate to be the bearer of bad news.

"Well, you were brought in last night by that crazy...i mean, by a fellow konoha kunoichi; the one with purple hair. Anyway, the doctors say that you've been injected by a multitude of poison needles."

"Yeah, that' right." The blue eyed voluptuous girl confirmed, remembering her encounter with the umbrella wielding Saburo.

"It seems that it wasn't any ordinary poison. In fact, none of us have never even encountered this poison before. It's effect is more of an acid than a poison though. It's literally eating away at your body, like it was alive..." The nurse continued.

"Isn't there anything you can..." Akane blurted out, before wincing at the pain in her leg. As she recalled, she was hit multiple times in the leg by Saburo's needles.

"We've managed to slow it down by injecting in a substitute for it to feed off of, but at this rate, I can't say what will happen..." The nurse trailed off. Akane was caught in a stunned silence, so the nurse decided to leave, feeling the tension getting to her. "I'll leave you alone for now, just...try to get some rest."

The nurse closed the door on the way out, allowing Akane to have some privacy. The girl was curious as to what her leg actually looked like, so she decided to take a peek at it under the covers. Lifting the sheets off, she was surprised at what she found...

"_What the_...!?"

Though her leg looked perfectly normal, not counting the puncture wounds from Saburo's needles, the real thing that surprised her was her left arm. From the tips of her fingers to her elbow, her left arm was a splitting image of the actual Kyuubi's arm, fur and everything. Glancing around the room frantically, the long haired girl spied a roll of bandages on a stand next to her bed. She quickly wrapped the Kyuubified arm, pulling it tight.

"_This shouldn't be happening. Why is this happening? I was sure that I stopped it_..._and why_..._do I feel so weak_?"

The blue eyed girl began to stumble as she soon found her strength leaving her.

"_Why is it so hard_..._to breathe_..." The girl thought as she began to slip into unconsciousness. Her vision began to grow darker and soon she saw nothing but darkness.

"_Naruto-kun_..."

**(Red Sand Inn, Early Morning)**

Similar to Akane, Naruto's eyes opened as well, the light filtering into the hotel window. Though there were three major differences between his and Akane's morning. One, he was rather comfortable in his bed at the moment. Two, he wasn't in any real danger of dying. Last, and most certainly not least, a smooth skinned chinese oriented girl with identical buns for hair was cuddled up to him in bed.

And then it hit him...

"_Tenten_?"

Scratch number two. He was definitely in danger of dying now.

"_Sakura-chan is going to kill me if she sees this_."

Naruto's head instantly shot toward Sakura's bed, hoping against all hope that she had left the room or was still sleeping. He obviously earned some points with Kami somehow, who he was willing to bet was of the female persuasion, as Sakura was nowhere to be found. Silently cheering in his head at his newfound luck, Naruto decided to wake up the sleeping beauty next to him, that was clinging onto him for dear life.

"Hey, Ten-chan. Wake up. Ten-chan." Naruto whispered, nudging her on the shoulder lightly. It apparently worked, as she slowly opened her eyes and stared into his.

"Oh, good morning Neji..." She said quietly, while letting out a small, but cute yawn. Naruto surmised that she still was half asleep, if her closed eyelids and her greeting to 'Neji' were any indication.

"Um...Ten-chan, you do realize that you're in my bed right?" He decided he would get right to the point.

"Oh...sorry...Neji." She let out another yawn, still obviously talking in her sleep. "You know...my habit and all." Naruto was curious as to what this habit was, but something told him he would be finding out soon anyway. The sleeping girl climbed out of bed slowly, standing to her feet and rubbing her eyes a little. Naruto mentally began to count down.

"_Three_..._two_..._one_..."

"Naruto!? What are you doing in our room?"

"I could be asking you the same question. Nice pandas by the way." Naruto joked warmly, sending the girl a grin as he referred to her panda oriented red pajamas.

"You've got a nice set of frogs yourself, blondie." She retorted playfully, pointing out his own bedtime wear. The bun wearing girl scanned the room quickly. "I take it I got the wrong room." Naruto confirmed it with a curt nod.

"What are you doing here in Suna anyway, Ten-chan?" The golden haired boy asked.

"Well, Tsunade-sama sent Team Gai here to back up Team Anko. We passed what we thought was the battle sight where you guys fought, but from how destroyed it looked, we figured the problem had already been taken care of. And so, here we are." She answered.

"Ah, I see. That means Lee and Neji are here as well." The boy surmised. "But that doesn't really explain how you ended up in my bed."

"Well, now that I remember more clearly, we arrived in Suna late last night, and we were all completely exhausted so I just jumped on the nearest bed I found. I must have gotten the wrong room though." She finished in an embarassed fashion.

"I thought I heard someone come in last night." The blonde stated matter-of-factly. "But no harm done, right?" He flashed her his signature smile.

She smile as well. "Right."

After that ordeal was all said and done, Tenten decided to take a shower while Naruto began to change out of his pajamas. He found out on his three year training trip that carrying ones clothes in summoning scrolls was a very useful and efficient practice, not to mention it saved space for other things. Finding the necessary scroll he summoned one of his favorite outfits, which consisted of pitch black t-shirt with an orange colored konoha symbol, as well as a pair of tan cargo shorts and his regular black ninja sandals with his headband was wrapped around his left arm. He figured it proper attire for a desert climate.

Figuring better to just wait for Tenten then to go out on his own, Naruto plopped onto Sakura's bed and laid down. Though he noticed that he laid back onto a piece of paper. Curious, he placed if in front of him and began to read.

_I went to the hospital to check on Akane. I'll be back in an hour or two. Don't know where Anko-sensei is, though if we know her she's probably planning to jump you as we speak. _

_P.S. I saw Tenten in your bed. There's a good chance that you're innocent and it's just a misunderstanding, but I don't like to take chances. _

_You'll get yours soon,_

_Love Sakura_

Naruto stared gravely at the note, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"_So much for earning points with Kami._"

"Hey, Naruto." Tenten called out while poking her head out of the bathroom door. "Would you mind turning around while I get dressed?"

"Um...S-Sure..no p-problem..." The blonde adonis managed to stutter out, sweating bullets at an even higher rate. Throughout his trip with Jiraiya, one would think he would be used to a woman undressing or anything of the sort.

"_Cute_." Tenten giggled inwardly, noticing the nervous state of the male on the other side of the room. "Make sure not to peek, okay." Naruto could have sworn she was tempting him when she said that. She slowly unwrapped the towel around her, the fabric hitting the japanese style floor with a soft thud. The blonde turned a brighter shade of red at the sound.

Apparently, the brown haired kunoichi had also discovered the art of storing clothes in summoning scrolls, which was no surprise from the weapons expert. She summoned the outfit, which was comprised of a regular green t-shirt with an intricate black chinese dragon design coiled around the shirt and simple black cargo shorts.

"Alright, Naruto, you can turn around now." She said playfully as she put her hair back up into buns and tied her headband in it's proper position.

"_Finally, wasn't sure how much more of that I could take_." The blonde thought inwardly. "Hey, Ten-chan. What was that habit you mentioned before?" He asked curiously. Tenten's eyes grew wide as she realized what he was referring to.

"Um...well...you see..."

Suddenly, a gentle knock came from the direction of the door, and Tenten, being the closest one, answered it. There standing in all his glory was Neji Hyuuga, in casual wear no less, which was made up of a white t-shirt with a large yin/yang symbol embroided on the front and black shorts similar to Tenten's.

"_Wow, it's odd to see Neji so informal and casual_..." Naruto remarked inwardly.

"Greetings, Naruto-san...Tenten-san."

"_Then again, appearances can be deceiving_." The blonde finished sarcastically.

"What's up, Neji?" The bun sporting girl asked. "_Thank you so much for the save_."

"I was approached by Sakura-san earlier this morning. She asked that you come visit Akane-san at the hospital as soon as possible."

"I was just on my way up there anyway. Would you guys like to come?" The golden haired boy asked his fellow Konoha nin. Receiving nods of approval from both, the trio headed off.

**(Kazekage Tower: Official Meeting Room, Morning)**

"Kazekage-sama, what's this about Ebizo and Chiyo being attacked last night by Konoha ninja?" One of the older officials called out from his seat around the table. Gaara continued to stare blankly into seemingly nothing as he usually did during these meetings. Kankuro secretly wondered if he had somehow trained himself to sleep with his eyes open.

"Sabure, take your seat! Honestly, making such groundless claims." Baki called out in repressed anger. He allowed himself to calm down before continuing. "This is what we were able to gather so far from our investigation unit and an eye witness report from Chiyo-sama. Ebizo and Chiyo's estate was broken into last night by a masked assassin of unknown origins. The assassin was able to avoid Chiyo and strike Ebizo with a poisoned kunai knife using the Mikadzuki no Mai (Dance of the Cresent Moon) technique. The assailer's whereabouts are currently unknown and Ebizo is in critical condition as of the present."

"If I may speak, Baki-sama?" Another council member asked politely, standing to his feet. Baki and the rest acknowledged him accordingly. "I believe that Sabure-san may not be so off. The technique that the assassin used, the Mikadzuki no Mai; if I remember back to the Third Great Ninja War, that technique was used solely by ninja from Konoha. I myself can attest to that, as I was once wounded by the technique during that war...as were you in the Konoha invasion, Baki-sama."

Baki clenched his teeth. This member had him on that one.

"Don't misinterperet me, members of the council. I am not against Konoha in any way. All I am implying is that we keep a watch over the Konoha shinobi and representatives over the next few days. We were lucky this time that no one was killed...but as evidenced by Konoha's current Hokage..."

"...Luck is always sure to run out..."

Baki let out a heavy sigh.

"Thank you, Hissori, for your opinion. That concludes today's meeting." At this, the officials and council members shuffled out of the room, leaving Baki, Kankuro, and Gaara alone once again.

"I don't believe or understand either, Baki, but Hissori did have a point, no matter how you think about it." Kankuro stated gravely, staring off into the distance as he sat on the seal of the open window.

"Yes, I know. This is getting out of hand..." The jounin commented, looking down at another report. "Look at this, another squad of shinobi disappeared. This time it was our own men."

"Do you think we should up the border patrol? Surrounding countries are sure to find out about this and I'm sure someone will make a move." The puppeteer asked. Baki sighed once more after deep thought and a nod of confirmation from Gaara.

"I suppose we have to at this point. Send two squads this time to investigate. The first squad will move on as normal, but the second squad will stay a little ways back. Have the second squad move only if something happens to the first squad." Kankuro nodded in approval before leaving.

"Have faith in the leaf." Gaara began, walking over to the window and looking down as Baki watched him. Naruto, Tenten, and Neji passed by the window, something that even Gaara had to smile at.

"Even during the harshest of storms, the will of fire burns brightly in all of them."

Baki smiled at Gaara's confidence in the Konoha shinobi.

"Kazekage-sama!" A worker at the Kazekage tower called out as he rushed into the room. "It seems that a sandstorm has been spotted in the southern desert. A big one!"

"Understood." Baki remarked. "Notify the citizens immediately, no one is allowed to leave Sunagakure for the time being."

**(With Naruto, Neji, and Tenten. Morning)**

"Hey, Ten-chan, what's with your's and Neji's clothes? Are they some sort of new design or something?" Naruto asked in a perplexed tone as the three continued to walk down the dusty streets of Sunagakure. He had never seen designs of the sort in Konoha before.

"Oh, well I guess you could say they're new. I made them myself." She replied, blushing slightly at his nickname for her while averting her gaze elsewhere. Quickly overcoming her blush, she pointed to the spot on her shirt right above her heart, where similar brand logos would be placed. In that spot was a hollow square with the number '10' inside of it. "See, that's my logo. There's one on Neji's shirt to."

"Um...what does it mean. I don't get it." Naruto said, staring at it intently, though he failed to realize that it was near the area of her cleavage as well. None of the three seemed to notice this thankfully.

"Well, it means ten squared, which would be like saying ten times ten, or tenten, since things next to each other in math are multiplied."

Naruto stared at her in a peculiar fashion.

"I...think I get it. So it's basically another way to write your name?" Tenten nodded with a smile as a reply. "Wow, Ten-chan, I had no idea that you were so talented. Do you think you could make me a shirt or something? All of these look awesome." The blonde asked, puppy dog (or in his case fox) eyes turned on full blast. Tenten's defenses crumbled almost immediately.

"Sure. If you really want me to." Tenten said, secretly overjoyed that Naruto liked her designs. "But it's gonna cost you. Making clothes costs alot more than you'd expect it to."

"Of course. Wouldn't have it any other way. By the way, Neji. You're the last person that I'd expect to wear something other than 'Hyuuga Brand', though I have to say you look cooler."

"Tenten-san put a lot of work into these as a birthday present. Who was I to reject her. Plus, they're very comfortable."

The three continued to walk side by side down the beaten path, Tenten walking in between of her fellow Konoha shinobi. They seemed to garner a large amount of attention from the locals as they strolled down each street towards the hospital. Of course, most of this attention seemed to be of the female persuasion and directed in equal amounts towards Naruto and Neji.

Tenten could obviously see why though. On her right was the cool, calm, and collected Hyuuga Neji, who was always in control of any situation. An aura of mystery seemed to radiate from his quiet demeanor...and what girl didn't love a good mystery.

And on her left was the wild, foxy, blonde adonis known to all as Naruto Uzumaki, who not only had looks that could top any movie star, but a heart of gold to match as well. His aura was almost the polar opposite of Neji's, as his just screamed openness, vitality, and stamina. And every sane girl loves a guy with...stamina.

Both of them had less than stellar childhoods as far as bad childhood experiences went, yet they both turned out quite alright. She was more familiar with Neji's than Naruto's though. The most she knew about the blonde's past was that most people seemed to hate him for no apparent reason, but even he turned out to be ideal boyfriend material. The both of them were also humble about their accomplishments, a good trait that very few seemed to have. Mabye the most important trait that both had but Naruto had nailed down was their protectiveness of not only their friends and loved ones, but people in general.

It was strange, but up until just now, she had never even noticed what a catch both of them were. Perhaps with all the hustle and bustle of shinobi life, a kunoichi barely had time to think about these things.

Though maybe the reason she had never noticed Neji before was that he was more of a friend and a teammate than anything more, something that she preferred stayed the same. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but there was just something about Naruto that appealed to her more and as far as she knew, Neji wasn't interested in anyone anyway.

But there was one thing she was sure of as the three turned a corner...

She was the target of A LOT of female jealousy...and strangely...it felt good.

"Hey, Ten-chan. I almost didn't notice, but where is Gai-sensei and Lee?" Naruto asked, perplexed as to where the two eccentric shinobi had run off to.

"I believe that Gai-sensei said something about running five-hundred laps around Suna. Even on vacation they never stop." Neji answered dejectedly.

"Wait, vacation?"

"Pretty much." Tenten began to explain. "The only reason we came was to back you guys up, but since you finished off the enemy before we arrived, we decided to have a little mini-vacation."

"Oh, I see...wait, do you guys smell that?" Naruto asked as he began sniffing the air around him.

"I don't smell anything." Tenten remarked.

"It...It smells a lot like...like..." Naruto immediately pivoted on his foot, spinning around one hundred eighty degrees to intercept a fist aimed right for him.

"Snakes..."

"Good morning to you to, Naru-chan." Anko said in a sarcastic tone, withdrawing her fist from his grip. "Your reaction time was a little bit slow."

"And you were too easy to sense." Naruto retorted back playfully. "Where were you last night?"

"Well I came back to the hotel around four o'clock last night. I would've stayed but Ten-chan was in my spot." She remarked with a wink, also using Naruto's nickname for the girl. Both Tenten and Naruto blushed at being found out by her.

"But wait, why were you out so late?" Naruto asked.

"That's what I came to get you for actually..."Anko trailed off, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "...It seems that Akane-chan isn't doing so well."

"Why, what's wrong with her?" Naruto asked with a slightly worried tone.

"It would be better if you saw it yourself. Follow me." The tokubetsu jounin stated gravely as she walked towards the hospital, the three ninja following her in silence.

**(Konohagakure, Akimichi family restaurant)**

"Hello, and welcome to our establishment. Can I help you?" Choji Akimichi asked rather happily as he greeted a rather tall sinewy guest who had just entered their family restaurant. It was the plump shinobi's day off and he had planned to spend some bonding time with his team. Of course, Asuma still had to work and Ino had somehow been coaxed into teaching at the academy. Luckily, Shikamaru was free as usual, but Choji's father had forced him to help with the restaurant today, so the boy decided to make the best of it.

"I'm here for lunch with someone." The man stated curtly and without emotion. He doned a large, black trench coat that he wore over his hakama as well as army boots. His hair was near snow white and he doned sunglasses to hide his eyes. Choji personally thought that he looked strange.

"Well I could help you find him if..." Choji began, before he was stopped by the man.

"No need...I've found him." The man began to step towards a darker part of the restaurant, where lovers usually sat at to have dinner. Once he reached the back part of the restaurant, he spotted a table where an old man with black hair and bandages across his face sat.

"How nice to see you, Gaidoku-kun." The old man muttered in a craggly voice. Gaidoku sat down in the seat across from the man.

"Let's not waste time with idle chit chat. I'd prefer to keep this meeting strictly professional." The white haired man stated, reaching into his hakama and pulling out a summoning scroll and an envelope.

"Ah, my medicine I take it?" The old man said, grabbing both items. He opened the envelope, revealing a page long letter. "Tell Orochimaru that I will give him a response shortly."

"If that is all then I will be on my way." Gaidoku remarked, standing up from his seat.

"Then I suppose I will be dining alone. Before you leave...I have a task for you."

"And that would be...?"

If Gaidoku didn't know any better, he could have sworn that the old man cracked a smirk...for once.

"I need you to perform a small...jailbreak..."

**(Suna Hospital, Akane's Room)**

Anko, Naruto, Tenten, and Neji walked briskly down the clean, hospital hallway, heading for room 78, the room where Akane was being kept. Tensions were high and silence was prevelant as the quartet found the correct room number. Anko softly tapped on the door.

"Please, come in." The brown haired nurse said, opening the door slowly as to allow them entry. The moment Naruto stepped into the door, he frantically searched the room for his scarlet haired teammate. His eyes passed over an old woman, who was mixing a few herbs together in the corner, before eventually settling onto the hospitalizied girl.

"Neji, Ten-chan, Anko-sensei; do you mind if I have a few minutes in here alone?" Naruto asked. Neither of the three wished to deny his request, exiting the room with the nurse in tow.

With the four gone, Naruto walked forward towards the bed that she lay unconscious on, staring intensly at her pale face which was the only thing not covered by the hospital blanket.

"Your girlfriend is going to be alright. I know what I'm doing." The old woman reassured him without looking up from her project.

"I know." Naruto flashed a weak smile, while continuing to stare down at Akane's almost etheral face. "So...who exactly are you...?"

"My name is Chiyo. I am a poison specialist." She retorted back curtly, trying to keep the conversation to a minimum.

"Thank you for helping my teamma..." Naruto began to thank her, before she cut him off.

"Do not be fooled into thinking this is an act of generosity. That pink haired kunoichi had something I wanted, to cure my brother of the poison I could not, and in turn I identify this poison on the girl so she can make a proper antidote." Chiyo began, turning to the blonde with a grave look on their face. "I'm not exactly fond of helping a Konoha shinobi, but I refuse to let a person die of a poison that I don't know about."

"Why do you dislike Konoha...?"

"...I wouldn't say hate, boy, so much as...mistrust..."

"What do you mean?"

"My brother, the one that pink hair is treating; he was attacked and poisoned by an assassin last night. She had the mark of the leaf on her mask..." The old woman trailed off, leaving Naruto stunned. He quickly schooled his face back.

"Is there anything you can give to me? Appearance, clothes, smell, techniques...anything will do." The boy asked, hoping to get some answers. If the shinobi was indeed from Konoha, he might be able to identify her.

"She was covered head to toe with the standard Konoha ANBU outfit. She had purple hair though. She also used the Kage Buushin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) and the Mikadzuki no Mai (Dance of the Crescent Moon), both of which are native to Konoha." The Suna sibling described.

"Don't you worry, Chiyo-baachan. If you help Akane-chan get better, I'll help your brother in anyway I can and bring this creep that attacked him to justice. That's a promise." Naruto flashed her his signature foxy grin.

"Then it's a deal, but only if you live up to your end of it..." She reminded him, walking back over to the sleeping Akane's bed.

"Of course."

"Chiyo-sama, how is she doing?" Sakura asked as she pushed the sliding door open and entered the room hastily. Neji, Tenten, and Anko stepped into the room behind her, silently closing the door behind them.

"She seems to be stabilizing, but the poison is still eating away at her." Chiyo replied, placing a cold towel on the crimson beauty's head. Neji and Tenten stared at her with looks of sorrow, saddened that they hadn't gotten their sooner to help them. "The poison itself isn't so much of the problem, as it attacks at a relatively slow rate. The problem is that she took so much of it. Honestly, I'm surprised that she's still alive."

"Don't be." Neji, of all people, intervened. "We shinobi of the leaf are much more resilient then most take us to be."

"Neji is right." Sakura added, before her face became more serious. "...but I can't say the same for your brother."

"Can you not cure the poison?" Chiyo asked frightfully.

"I have the ability to...but with the current ingredients at this hospital, I can't make a proper antidote."

"What do you need Sakura-chan? I'll go and get it." Naruto said, walking over to her.

"Well, the last ingredient I need is a small, white flower that grows in the desert and some parts of Konoha, though it's very rare in both places. In Suna, it's called the..."

"Arenohana?" Naruto answered on instinct, the memory of him and Temari on top of the Hokage monument returning to the forefront of his thoughts.

"Actually...yes...how on earth did you know that?" Sakura asked with a tone of surprise.

"We'll worry about that later. Where can I find one?" The blonde asked quickly.

"There's not exactly one specific place that they grow, though they are more frequent in the southern part of the desert." Chiyo explained.

"Got it, then I'm off. You guys stay here. It'll be quicker with just me." Naruto said as he attempted to run out of the door.

"Hold on, Naruto." Tenten said tossing him an empty summoning scroll. "You'll need this. Its so the flower won't get damaged. Plus it'll be easier to carry." Naruto muttered a word of thanks towards her.

"There's also one more thing." Sakura began. "After studying both of the poisons and running various tests, it seems that while different in some ways, they are essentially the same type of poison, which means we can cure Akane as well." The medic nin said confidently. "Try to bring back more than one."

Naruto smiled.

"Yes ma'am." And with that, he took off down the hall running, a newfound resolve flowing through him.

"Excuse me, Sakura-san. You did say that the poisons were virtually the same, correct?" Neji asked inquisitively. Sakura gave him a nod of confirmation. "If that's true, to use the same poison would mean that Akane's opponent and whatever caused Ebizo-sama to gain the poison are somehow linked; though it's just a hunch."

"Neji's correct on that one. Two unrelated ninja using the same poison can't be just a coincidence." Anko, who had been relatively quiet throughout, added.

"So, do you think...?" Tenten began before being cut off by Sakura.

"Yeah, Ketsueki and this mystery assassin of ours are both definitely linked somehow."

**(Sunagakure Gates, Afternoon)**

"What do you mean I can't leave?" Naruto asked in an agitated fashion as he attempted to walk past the guards, who continuously blocked his path.

"We have reports that a large sandsotrm has been spotted in the southern desert region and we have orders not to let anyone leave Sunagakure until it's passed!" The guard retorted just as agitatedly. "It's not safe to go now, you'll die without a doubt. You can leave when it's over."

Naruto slammed his foot into the loose sand, making a small thud in the process.

"I don't have time for that. I have to go get those flowers so Sakura-chan can make the antidote. Otherwise, Akane-chan and that old guy Ebizo will..."

"Wait, did you say Ebizo?" The guard asked him in astonishment. "Say no more, go and get whatever you need. Just come back alive."

Naruto smirked.

"Alive is the only way I could come back, isn't it?" The blonde took off past them down the path.

"Wait kid, you'll need these." The guard tossed him a pair of goggles. "It'll keep the sand out of your eyes."

"Thanks guys, I'll be back in no time." The blonde began to pick up speed, finally exiting the gates and dashing out across the barren wasteland that was the desert.

"You know, Kazekage-sama will have our heads if he finds out we let that kid go." The second guard said to his peer.

"I've got faith the boy will come back. After all, he did beat the Kazekage once."

**(Konohagakure High Security Prison, Afternoon)**

They hadn't even known what hit them.

Then again, that was simply par for the course when Gaidoku was doing his job. His job today was performing a jailbreak, and he preferred to go about his job thoroughly, making sure enemies were completely incapacitated...or dead; it depended on the mood he was in. And right now, he was in a good mood.

The white haired man continued to walk past the cells of various criminals and missing nin of Konoha, most begging him to free them. Of course he payed them no mind. He was here to release just one man and one man only.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, the purple eyed shinobi arrived at the cell of his objective. A dirty blonde haired boy, around the age of sixteen or seventeen, lay disheartened on the less than sterilized floor of his cell. Patches of dirt covered his clothes and he smelled like he hadn't bathed in a week or two. Gaidoku stared down at him.

"What is it that you seek?"

**(Wind Country, Southern Desert. Late afternoon)**

"_Damn it, I wish I would have brought some water or something_." Naruto thought as he trudged through the sand, the rumored sandstorm already hitting him in full force. It was already bad enough as it was, treking through a hot desert without any letup from the overbearing light and heat of the sun, but their just had to be a sandstorm to, and it certainly lived up to its namesake of storm. Luckily, that guard had supplied him with a pair of goggles, otherwise finding this flower would be near impossible.

Suddenly, an abnormally strong gust of wind and sand blew into the blonde, knocking him over into the sand covered ground below him. The Kyuubi container struggled to get back up, but managed to do just that, planting his feet firmly in the sand.

"_Come on, move_..._it's just a stupid sandstorm_."

Naruto continued push through the storm, which was for some reason beginning to shift directions.

"_Finally, it's beginning to let up_." The blonde cheered inwardly, until after pushing through for a couple of minutes was able to perform a light jog. He thought it was odd how the sand ridden winds suddenly switched directions, but decided not to think of it further.

That would prove to be a fatal mistake.

The winds that had been pushing him back so forcefully before were now actually pulling him back...almost as if it was sucking him in.

"_What the hell? A tornado_..._made of sand_?"

True to Naruto's thoughts, the sandy winds began to spiral inwards, creating a large vortex of sand similar to something Gaara could come up with. The blonde shinobi began to be drawn towards the tan spiral, before finally succumbing to the force and drawn into it. The winds began to violently rack Naruto's body, as he thrown around the tornado violently.

Various memories of Akane began to run rampant throughout the blondes mind.

"_Oh, good morning, Naruto-kun. Did you sleep well?" Akane asked, greeting Naruto with a smile._

"_Naruto-kun lets go in that one. It has really pretty lights." The blue eyed girl pointed out a sign to the blonde and Tenten before running off towards it._

"_What do you think, Naruto-kun?" The scarlet haired kunoichi asked the Kyuubi jailor his opinion on her outfit._

Naruto's eyes flashed open and his resolve skyrocketed.

"_Like hell I'm losing to some tornado_..."

The blonde was almost to the top of the vortex at this point, but he figured if he timed it just right, he might be able to escape the tornado. He barely managed to hold out his hand in front of him, the same way that he would hold a rasengan.

"_I've never succeeded with one hand before_..." The boy did his best to calm and stabilize himself amidst the tornado like winds blowing him around. Chakra began to swirl around his hand as with the regular formation of the rasengan...though this one began to grow bigger...

"_Odama_..._Rasengan_...(Great Ball Spiraling Sphere)!!"

The chakra sphere in Naruto's hand grew to massive proportions as it's unstable shell gave way, causing a massive explosion of chakra. The blast of the technique was enough to disrupt the sand vortex completely and free Naruto of the tornado. Of course, the plan had its negative points as well, such as that same blast knocking him away as well. The shinobi landed in a sand dune a few dozen feet away, taking away some of the impact of the fall.

He considered lying in the sand for a moment, as he was exhausted after that little ordeal, but he quickly stood to his feet and continued on his trek. He knew he had absolutely no time to waste. Akane and Ebizo were counting on him.

"Tajuu Kage Buushin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!" Naruto called out as nearly one hundred clones appeared around his position. The dopplegangers all spread out in various directions, intent on searching for any sign of the flower.

"_Don't worry, Akane-chan. I'm coming_." Naruto thought as he dashed off in his particular direction.

"_I've already lost one teammate to a snake; I'm not going to lose another to the venom_."

**(Sunagakure Hospital, Akane's Room, Late Evening)**

"This is bad. Where is Naruto?" Sakura asked, doing everything in her power to keep Akane physically stable. "Tenten, bring me some more cold towels." The bun sporting girl did as she was asked. The red haired kunoichi was by this time barely holding on. The poison had managed to move itself into her respiratory area and had already begun breaking down her lungs. Sakura had been consistently performing a mystical palm technique for the last two hours, but she had no idea how long that would last.

Suddenly, A nurse flung open the door.

"Sakura-sama, it seems that a blonde haired boy was spotted walking towards Sunagakure. A few of the guards have already been sent to retrieve him. Naruto-sama made it back." She exclaimed, smiles and victorious smirks lighting across the room.

"Good, get him here as fast as you can." Sakura ordered.

"No need, we've got the scroll right here. He said get it here by any means and as fast as we could." The nurse handend the pink haired medic nin the same summoning scroll that Tenten had given to him. Muttering a small 'thanks', the kunoichi immediately exited the room and ran down the hall to mix the flowers with the other ingredients.

**(An Hour Later)**

Anko, Neji, Tenten, and the now returned Naruto all sat in the waiting room on couches, eager to find out the fate of Akane and Ebizo. Well, three were eager anyway...Naruto had fallen asleep, on Tenten's lap no less. Though it was understandable as it probably had taken all of his energy to find those flowers.

The chinese oriented kunoichi was currently playing in the messy, golden hair of the Kyuubi container, curling strands of it around her fingers and ruffling it every so often. Neji sat on the other side of Tenten, reading one of the miscellaneous periodicals he had located on the coffee table in front of him. Anko, who sat next to him, had been intently watching Tenten, wishing she was in the same position that the kunoichi was.

Of course, she could always go for runner up...

"Hey Neji, can I play with your hair for..."

"No." The boy answered curtly, not even looking up from his magazine.

Anko huffed.

"_Jerk_."

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary opened, with Sakura stepping out and taking off her mask and gloves.

"Akane and Ebizo are now officially poison free." The medic nin remarked, giving everyone and nice guy pose. "All thanks to Naruto."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked. Sakura tossed her the summoning scroll that held the flowers Naruto had gathered. Placing it on the table and making a quick handsign, the brown haired girl released the seal.

"...how many did this boy get? I thought they were rare." Tenten asked in astonishment as flowers literally filled the scroll.

"He got twenty three...and they are rare." Sakura commented. "You might want to save those, I'm sure they go for a high price because of their scarcity." Tenten opted to follow her advice, sealing the flowers back into the scroll.

"So is Akane-san able to come back yet?" Neji asked.

"Unfortunately, not yet. The amount of poison that she acquired really ate away at her. She'll be here for another two days while I patch her up." The emerald eyed girl explained. "As for Ebizo-san, he's just old. So he'll be here for the same amount of time."

"Then for the time being...Team Anko is safe." The snake jounin remarked as she stood up and gave her own thumbs up to everyone. "Let's head back to the hotel."

**(Red Sand Inn, Hour before midnight)**

"Sakura-chan, not so rough okay." Naruto whined as Sakura wrapped bandages around his torso, pulling them rather tightly.

"Quit whining, Naruto, and just stay still." Sakura retorted back, her face red in embarrassment from having to be so close to him. "_It's not any easier for me_..." She continued to bring the bandages upwards, finally making it up to his arms. Once finished, she patted the bandages down to make sure they were tight. "There, how does that feel?"

"Pretty good actually. Thanks, Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled, with his teammate smiling back...

...Which was then followed by a crushing blow to the blonde's face.

"That...was for this morning." The medic nin remarked, still fuming at the thought of Naruto and Tenten in the same bed.

The girl in question then opened the door slowly, holding the blonde's shirt and shorts in her arms.

"Alright, Naruto-kun. I did what I could for your shirt but...IS HE ALRIGHT!?" Tenten asked, seeing the blonde face up on the floor with his pupils dark and empty as well as a river of blood flowing from his mouth, not to mention the large bruise on his face.

"He'll be fine...I held back." She replied. "What are the those for?"

"Oh, Naruto's clothes got really torn up, so I decided to sow them up for him." Tenten answered, setting them down on the table. "Are you sure he's okay? He doesn't look like he's breathing...or alive for that matter." She asked with a sweatdrop.

"Don't worry, he'll be up by morning. He deserved it anyway."

"What exactly did he do?"

Images of a sleeping Tenten with nothing but a loose nightgown on top of a half naked Naruto poured into her mind.

"Don't worry about it."

The oriental kunoichi shrugged it off, reaching into her belongings for a regular sized notebook and a pencil. Grabbing them, she took a seat on the bed and flipped open the little black book to a page with some drawings on it.

"I really like that one how you did this one, Tenten." Sakura remarked, pointing to a particular portrait in the notebook. The portrait was a picture of Tenten, her hair tied into two braids Her hair also contained purple highlights throughout. The portrait doned a purple, Chinese themed shirt with two intertwining dragons running up the middle. Lastly, she sported a tight pair of jeans and two purple bracelets made of beads on each wrist.

"I wish I made this one. You know Ayame-san, from the ramen stand?" Tenten asked. "She came up with this one."

"Wow, I didn't know Ayame could draw like that." Sakura said, marvelling at the picture. "This would be perfect for you on a date once you make it." Sakura was already aware of Tenten's clothing designer hobby.

"That's what I'm counting on." She accidentally whispered, covering her mouth and letting out a gasp as she realized she said it out loud.

"Well, well..." An evil glint manifested in the pink haired kunoichi's eyes. "So this is for a date...but the question is with who?"

"No one!!" The bun sporting girl replied hastily.

"Is it Neji?"

"No. We're just friends."

"Lee?" 

"No. Too hyper."

"Kiba? Shikamaru?"

"Too arrogant. Too lazy."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Sakura asked flatly. Tenten shook her head. "Fine, but I'll find out eventually."

Just then, the bathroom door opened, steam flowing into the room by the gallons along with a certain tokubetsu jounin who had just had the most relaxing bath she's had in a long time. She stepped out into view with nothing but a towel wrapped around her.

"Did I miss anything importa...is Naru-chan okay?" Anko asked, looking over at the blonde's body lying limply against the wall.

"He's fine." The medic nin repeated once again. "We were just looking at some clothes that Tenten's designing."

"Oh really?" Anko said with a smirk, walking over to the kunoichi. "Does she do lingerie also? I need some new outfits since my last ones are all worn out."

Sakura and Tenten both refused to reply to that. There was just some places that you never went...ever.

"Relax, I was kidding. Anyway, time for bed kiddies."

"_Something tells me she was completely serious_..." Sakura thought gravely, a sweatdrop forming on her head.

"Um...Anko-sensei, there are only two beds..." Tenten pointed out. Anko thought for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"Then we'll just have to double up I suppose. You and Sakura take that one, and Naru-chan and I will take this one." She answered with an innocent smile, quickly retrieving the blonde from the other side of the room and tucking him into her bed.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Anko-sensei." Tenten said, crossing her arms.

"And why do you say that, Ten-chan?"

"Because...you might do something to him while he's asleep..."

"So are you saying that he should sleep with you? I doubt we should have a repeat of this morning."

"So I accidentally picked the wrong room. So sue me. It's better than getting..."

Growing tired of their petty argument, Sakura instinctively got on the other side of her bed and pushed it forward, slamming it into Anko's bed and creating one large futon able to accomodate the four of them.

"There we go. Problem solved..." The kunoichi stated. She grabbed the still unconscious Naruto and dragged him to the far end of the bed. She then placed herself right next to him, after switching into her pajamas, her body acting as a wall between the Kyuubi container and the rest of the room tenants. "Any complaints?" Both kunoichi shook their heads in defeat.

"Good, then go to sleep."

The two did as Sakura commanded, jumping into bed next to her after changing. After an hour, all four were finally asleep...all except for Anko, who's eyes were currently wide open. She looked over to the others momentarily. Naruto was sleeping peacefully as she expected, with Sakura cuddled up to him. Tenten was apparently having a dream as she kept repeating someone's name in her sleep. The snake mistress couldn't exaclty tell which name it was, thought it started the letter 'N'.

She did her best to try and get some sleep, but she was too tense. That, and she was nervous about the fact that the cursed seal on her neck had been acting up ever since that battle with Ketsueki, even inside Sunagakure. But there was one other thing she was concerned over...the real reason that she was chosen to come on this mission in place of Kakashi.

"_I can't waste any more time_..._the real mission begins tomorrow_..."

**(Konohagakure High Security Prison, Ealier that Day)**

"Who are you...?" The boy asked in an audible whisper.

"Does it matter?" Gaidoku answered cryptically.

"Then why are you here?" The boy asked once more, this time in a low growl.

"My employer has taken an interest in you is in need of your services."

"What can he give to me?" The adolescent quiered, taking an interest in the conversation.

"Power, wealth, fame, women; anything a man could want can be yours..."

"What about...Justice...?" The boy lifted his eyes, staring straight at the masked man in front of him. The man let out a deep chuckle.

"My boy, the main purpose of our organization is justice."

A malevolent smirk crossed the boy's face, as he stood to his feet.

"You've got yourself a deal then..."

Gaidoku matched the boy's smirk, opening the rusty cell door as he did.

"Very well...Daichi."

**As Anko prepares for her real assignment, Gaidoku has made contact with the least expected person. The trigger to this conspiracy has been pulled. The recoil is yet to come...**

**Next Chapter: Shifting Sands **

**(End Chapter Fourteen)**

A/N: Alright here's chapter fourteen. A few things. I got this out so fast because I'm going to camp next week and I wanted to get it out as fast as possible, hence why it might feel a bit rushed. To be honest, it was more of a filler chapter than anything, with only patches of plot advancing happening. One of the outfits mentioned in the chapter (The one that Akane drew in Tenten's notebook) was inspired by a picture on deviant art made by Pumpkin-Girl. The link should be on my page a little bit after this and all credit for that one outfit goes to her/him (though by the name I'm guessing she is female.)

One last thing, I changed the title of chapter eleven because I wanted to use that title for next chapter, as it fit more with the content. No actual content in chapter eleven was changed, solely the title. Oh, and kudos to anyone who can still remember who Daichi is. If not, chapter six is your answer.


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